


Never Tickle a Sleeping Direwolf

by GuajolotA



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: (no srsly incredibly slow burn), Alternate Universe-Hogwarts AU, Humor, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-28
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2017-12-30 17:20:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1021346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuajolotA/pseuds/GuajolotA
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hogwarts AU. No one in school believed White Walkers exist, that they are just and old leyend, but they are coming</p><p>[In which I couldn't come up with a title]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of trouble coming up with a title until I gave up.
> 
> This was going to be my entry for the asoiafbigbang in Tumblr, but it was impossible for me to finish it, so I'm posting this chapter by chapter here, on the internet, enjoy.
> 
> Huge thanks to RedSmileyFace for beta reading!
> 
> Prologue is short, very short.

"It's cold." Someone said. Benjen Stark turned to see that one of the muggle sailors that came with them had spoken.

"Aye." he answered, seeing his breath as it came out of his mouth.

"Too cold for August, I would say," the seasoned sailor spoke again, "but I admit it, weather has been weird lately."

Benjen didn't answer, but gave a simple nod.

Both men stayed on the deck for a couple of minutes before they felt the boat shake slightly. "What was that?" asked Benjen.He might not be a sailor, but he knew that was not normal.

"Is just impossible," the sailor muttered, "bloody impossible." He kept cursing as he ran to the other side of the deck and Benjen followed.Once on the other side of the boat.

Ice.

The sea was starting to freeze.

"Shit!"

"What the fuck does this mean?!" a younger muggle sailor asked, and Benjen crossed looks with his fellow brother, clad in black and with a grim expression.

"Winter is Coming."


	2. Ravenclaw!

"Ravenclaw!" Shouts the sorting hat.

The Great Hall boomed with claps and cheers as first year Brandon Stark runs towards the Ravenclw table, towards his new 'family'.

Arya clapped too, happy for her little brother. But sighs as well, she hoped Bran liked his new house more than she was enjoying Slytherin.

Arya scans Slytherin's table quickly, locking eyes with a pair of blue ones.

"It's a shame, don't you think?" Sansa asked from across the table and Arya raised an eyebrow "I mean, it would be nice if he was in Slytherin too, with us." Arya raised her other eyebrow.

Sansa Stark is probably the most beautiful, elegant and proper girl in Slytherin; she has long red hair, beautiful blue eyes and a perfect skin. She is loved by all the teachers, and excelled in a large number of activities, especially singing. But most importantly, she is Arya's older sister.

It would be nice to have Bran, their younger brother, in Slytherin yes, but Arya would never put Bran next to the incessant torture that is Joffrey Baratheon.

"Yes, a shame" Arya said, her voice flat, and turned back to examine the new students as they were called and sorted. She clapped with her house when a new kid joined Slytherin, and chatted with some of her new housemates. She looked at her sister, who was chatting with her best friend, Jeyne Poole; Sansa probably felt her gaze since she turned to Arya, and gave her a small smile: a pity smile.

Arya stood to quickly scan the great hall. Micah was nowhere to be found, but she already knew that. She just wanted to try, hoping that she was wrong, that Micah would be in the Ravenclaw table, as always, so she wouldn't have to suffer the whole night on her own.

But he isn't there; Arya sighed.

When she had received a letter from him during the summer, she had been so exited at first that she had jumped a little bit; but when she read it, her smile fell. He was moving to Sweden and was going to study there. She was obviously sad, but also she felt relieved that Micah would not have to stand Joffrey's bulling anymore.

Arya turned to Sansa to see how she leaned to Joffrey, her horrible and monstrous boyfriend as he whispered something in her ear.

Arya huffed and sat, stabbing her food with her fork and eating almost savagely. Jeyne tried to tell her something similar to 'chew' but Arya didn't listen, she was just angry.

A soft clink of a cup made everyone immediately quiet down.

"Students", called a soft voice, and Arya turned her head to watch Doran Martell, Hogwarts headmaster. He was old and sick; Arya had heard many comments of people hoping he would leave his job. Even at his prime he wasn't such a big magician, but his determination and love for his students had gotten him the job so many years ago, and was the same love that kept him there.

"This new year is without a doubt a year of changes; first of all, in what seems to be a tradition, allow me to introduce your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

"What we need is a new headmaster," said Joffrey with disdain. Arya glared to the blond jerk, before turning her attention back to the headmaster. It was obvious that for Professor Martell even talking was extremely painful, yet here he was, giving a speech and Joffrey Baratheon was mocking him.

Arya was honestly more shocked that Sansa had kept her expression blank; she knew her older sister had a deep respect for Doran Martell.

A man stood from the professor's table, curly hair, tan skin and a big nose. When he spoke he talked with a thick accent Arya assumes is Italian.

"Hello, I am Syrio Forel, your new professor." he said with a big smile, "I will be here for the year and give you the class Defense Against the Dark Arts, and I hope I can return the year after that, and after that." he said, still with a huge smile.

The Great Hall broke into a million whispers, and Arya knows people are starting their bets of 'Why Professor Forel wouldn't come back next term'. It is completely valid; the Defense Against the Dark Arts position seemed to be cursed, there hadn't been one professor that had stayed for more than one year since before her father had been a student. A teacher talking about returning for a second year was unheard of.

"Now" said Professor Martel once Professor Forel sat down and the whispers died out, "I would like to introduce to your new Care of Magical Creatures professors." The great hall broke into a million whispers again, and the Headmaster chuckled. "This year we will have two new professors for said course: former student Daenerys Targaryen," a beautiful platinum blonde stood up, smiling and waving to the students, and a male voice in the back hooted, making the whole hall laugh, "and professor Khal Drogo," a huge tan man, with long dark hair and a long beard stood up, he simply nodded to the students and Arya heard Jeyne sigh. Arya looked at her sister, whose expression hadn't changed at all, but thetint of her cheeks had turned bright red.

Arya couldn't help laughing at her sister.

The rest of the dinner was uneventful, and Arya just wanted to go to her chambers and sleep. So the moment they were taken to the dungeons Arya ran to the third years' chamber.

"Arya, wait!" She heard Sansa call.

"What?" she asked not too nicely.

"Is everything all right?" Arya turned to watch her sister, who in turn looked at her with a mix of preoccupation and pity.

"Everything's peachy." Though her tone said exact the opposite.

"Micah wasn't at his table" the softness in Sansa's voice was making Arya mad, why couldn't she speak in a tone that wasn't pitting her or patronizing?

"He is not coming back, he is studying somewhere else."

"Oh, Arya I am so, so…-"

"Can you just… leave it? Please? I want to sleep." Arya didn't tell Sansa that the reason she wanted to sleep was to avoid talking to her.

Sansa lets out a soft sigh and muttered "Alright." leaving Arya in the Third Years' room.

"This is going to be a long year" Arya thought as she changed into her pajamas and climbed to bed, trying not to think about how her friend, her only real friend, had left Hogwarts.

.-.

Brienne Tarth had become a professor years ago, after an unsuccessful career as a Quidditch player. Her lack of success was not because a lack of ability, but because during her years in Storm End's 'Rainbow Knights' she played thrice, thrice in over 5 years.

And one of those times was only because vampire bats attacked the keeper on his way to the game.

But now Brienne is where she belonged: teaching at Hogwarts. It was her fifth year as flying teacher and second as head of Hufflepuff.

And life was sweet.

Or that she had thought until all the professors had been called to the Principal's office.

"Not even when I was a student was I called to the Principal's office." Said Willas Tyrell, Herbology professor. He is a couple of years older than Brienne, and has a slight limp on his leg.

"Do you think there is bad news?" asked Brienne. Willas shrugged, but it is a female voice with a hint of an accent that spoke.

"The reason why we gather is not the one we should fear, but the reason that made this gathering necessary."

"Thank you, Melissandre, for always answering our questions even if you don't say anything at all." Retorts the Muggle Studies Professor, Mance Ryder.

"Mance, always a charmer aren't you?" Meslissandre smiled enigmatically, "How is Dalla?"

"And what does that mean?"

"Can you all stop?" A strong female voice commanded. Everyone turned to Arianne Martell, daughter of the Headmaster. "My father has just fallen asleep and I would like him to rest."

"Then why we were called here?" asked Petyr Baelish, a short man and professor of Arithmancy.

"He wanted to give you the message himself, but the feast took a toll on him, so forgive my father for not being here," almost spat Arianne, looking daggers at Baelish.

Headmaster Martell has a severe case of gout, and while he still worked as headmaster. Once in a while his daughter helped him, not even Barristan Selmy, the Deputy Headmaster, was asked for help. Brienne knew it was because Headmaster Martell didn't want to look weak.

"May I ask, what did he wanted to tell us?" asked Daenerys, all charm and sweetness.

Arianne sighed, and looked at Daenerys with softer eyes, all her anger banished.

"As you well know, Professor Qyburn was fired last year after we discovered his… illegal experiments."

"That's why you hired me."

"Hired us." replied Khal Drogo. Brienne knew in that moment that neither of them knew they were going to share the course until the beginning of the school year speech.

"That is a matter for another moment, Dany" said Aemon Targaryen; he is Daenerys' great granduncle, and Hogwarts Mediwizard.

"The ministry of Magic considered where we could keep his experiments," continues Arianne, "and no place seemed safer than… the dungeons"

"So we are keeping chimeras and what not near, in school grounds?" asked Professor Baelish, rubbing his beard with one hand, "That seems a little dangerous, but nothing we haven't seen before."

"If there are only simple chimeras, they shouldn't be so dangerous." Said Khal Drogo with his deep voice, not scared in the least.

"The problem is that they are not simple chimeras," explained Astronomy teacher, Jon Arryn. "He broke the law; first bringing illegal creatures here, and then experimenting and creating chimeras with them… and later not only creatures"

"Muggles," Mance breathed.

"But that's awful!" exclaimed Daenerys.

"We cannot… end their suffering, that would be murder," continued Arianne, "and it is too dangerous to move some of them outside the school, but the dungeons are safe for them and us."

A knock on the door was heard and Arianne's face stiffens.

"But that's not the reason I gather you here" she says, her voice almost cold, "the minister wants to be sure they have eyes and ears in the school, so they decided to send an Auror." The door opened and a tall blond man entered, smiling.

"Mr. Lannister, we expected you to be present in the feast."

"Sorry, I was finishing some paperwork. You know, for the Minister."

"Of course."

And with that: Brienne knew the next year was going to be torture.

.-.

Arya's first week was without a doubt the dullest week in her life. She missed Micah terribly, and Nymeria even more. Sansa had tried to spend time with her, but she never separated from Joffrey.

For a moment she thought of going to Bran, but she found the idea of spending her time with her little brother and his friends didn't seem such an attractive idea.

The only interesting part of her week had been the appearance of Jaime Lannister, an Auror sent by the minister. No one had been told why the Ministry of Magic wanted to send an Auror to Hogwarts, but Arya thought it was weird. She even wrote to her father, asking him about it, but his answer was a simple 'Don't worry and don't get into trouble'.

But besides that, her week had sucked.

And now she was in the library, wanting desperately to take the book she needed and leave, but the damn book decided it was fun to be in a damn tall shelf. Arya Stark hated a lot of things; being mocked was one of them, and now she felt like the whole library was mocking her.

Not the people in the library, but the library itself; with its tall shelves and all. She almost felt bad for haven't dominating the ' _Accio_ ' spell yet. She looked around and there is no one near by.

"You damn book." she sighs before carefully putting her foot on the shelf and lifting herself, hoping her new height might help her reach the desired book. "Bloody hell," she said to herself "why I am so short?" She stretched her arm, "come on, come on…" and when her fingers are just about to brush the large volume another hand, a larger hand, appeared and took it.

"Here you go." said a voice behind her as she returned to the ground.

"I had it!" She snapped at the older boy. He is tall, tan, blue eyed, and handsome, yet Arya paid no attention to any of that. He was laughing.

"Sure, little thing"

"I am not little...!"

"You seem little to me," he said as he stands at his whole height, using his stature to tower over her.

That's when she noted he is a Hufflepuff.

"Give me my book." ordered Arya, but the guy just laughed.

"Aren't you going to ask nicely? After all, without me you wouldn't have reached it!" he teased.

"I would have! I almost had it!"

"Uh huh, sure." he read the cover and his face twisted into a confused frown, "Why would a Slytherin like you want a muggle vehicle book?"

Arya felt her face grow hot.

"It's for my Muggle Studies class, stupid!" She cried, "Give it to me..."

"Ask nicely."

"P...please, give it to me please." she muttered between clenched teeth, and when he gave her the book, she hit him in the arm.

"Whoa...! What kind of girl are you?!" He asked laughing.

"This kind," she answered before sticking out her tongue.

They stand awkwardly in silence until he speaks again.

"I'm Gendry, by the way."

"Arya."

As the silence settles again between them, a hushed voice is heard.

"Arya!" It was Sansa, who was rushing towards them. When she reached them, she pulls Arya aside and whispers to her, "what are you doing?! If the rest of the house saw you talking to a...-"

"Hufflepuff?" Cut Arya.

"A muggle born!" exclaimed Sansas in a whisper and Arya felt like punching her sister.

Arya never felt any kind of disdain towards muggle born, nor muggles, actually, and she knew her sister didn't either. But Joffrey and his friends still felt above them- and a Hufflepuff on top of that- the bullying would be terrible, both for her and Gendry.

That was, if she were scared of Joffrey Baratheon.

"So, you are a muggle born?" Asked Arya casually.

"Uh... yes, I think so."

"Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?" Asked Arya eagerly, as she freed herself from her sister's grip and started walking toward the exit, pulling Gendry along.

She waves good-bye to Sansa and leaves with Gendry, only to remember a minute later that she hadn't checked out the book.

.-.

Sansa returned to her table with Jeyne, Joff, and some of his friends.

"What was all that about?" asked Joff, not too nicely.

"Just my sister being stupid," Sansa muttered.

.-.

Next morning, Sansa sat with Arya at breakfast. "What do you think you are doing?" asked Sansa, sounding almost panicked.

"I am putting more syrup on my pancakes… they are dry." Answered Arya as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and it was.

"I am not talking about that, I am talking about yesterday and that muggle born."

"Gendry?"

"Oh, he has a name!" Cried Sansa sarcastically.

"Of course he has a name!"

"Arya, I know, you know, everybody knows that you don't care two rats ass about my opinion, or anything I say for that matter, but I'm begging you, keep away from that guy!"

"Why? HE is my friend!"

"You've only known him for a day!"

"Still, he is friendly and I've decided he is going to be my friend."

"Have you told him that?"

"Why should I?"

"You are an idiot." Sansa sighed, "Listen, I am sorry about the Micah incident and all that happened because of that, I truly am… but… he is a muggle born. Just think about what Joffrey will do"

"I am not afraid of Joffrey! He is your stupid boyfriend, not mine!" then she muttered, "Just breakup with him already"

"Why would I break up with him?"

"Because he is mean, Sansa!" Arya snapped before whispering," and a liar."

"He is not me—"

"You are telling me not to be friends with a boy because you are scared of how Joffrey is going to react!"

"I… just… You two are not even friends! I bet he doesn't remember you."

"…Are you so sure?" Arya stands up.

"Arya, where are you going?"

"To my friend."

Sansa tries to tell Arya something, but the younger Stark was already walking towards Hufflepuff's table, where the tall boy was talking with a fat kid.

"Hey." greeted Arya, and Gendry turns.

"Good Morning." he said.

"Eww, don't speak with your mouth full!" said the fat kid, while Gendry just took another bite of his toast before speaking again.

"Arya, this is Hot Pie." He gestures to the fat kid.

"Hot Pie?"

"Say hello, Hot Pie." Hot Pie waves, and Gendry swallows his food before asking, "What's up?"

"Oh nothing," Arya answered nonchalantly, "my sister is being boring." she bites her lips and looks at the empty space besides Gendry "Can I sit?"

"Sure," Gendry muttered, but Hot Pie pulled a face.

"But we don't know you."

"Yes you do, you know my name, and I'm the one that doesn't know yours."

"See, you don't know us."

"So I can't sit?" Arya snapped back.

"That's not what he meant." said Gendry, who barely reacted at the pair's fight, and when Hot Pie is about to respond he interrupts him, almost harshly, "that's not what you meant."

Hot Pie returned to his food, and Arya turned turns quickly to her sister who was looking at her with a shocked expression. Arya smiles smugly and returns to her new friends— or rather, her new friend and his friend.

"So, what are we going to do today?"

"We," started Hot Pie, pointing him and Gendry "are going to practice. We, Gendry and I, not—"

"You could come," interrupts Gendry, "Hot Pie is helping me with my flying, I'm terrible at it."

Arya smiled, Quidditch is, along with her Direwolf, her favorite thing in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Hi
> 
> I really wanted to update a longer chapter (I had this crazy idea of writing four chapters per year (writing five only five years) but, let's be honest, I would end up taking ages for me to update.
> 
> A HUGE THANKS TO RedSmileyFace for beta reading!
> 
> And thanks to every soul who faved, followed, kudoed or wrote a review or comment. (Please write a review, it would make my day!)
> 
> Adios~
> 
> PD. I'm watching the first Harry Potter movie right now
> 
> PD2. My Tumblr is quierosernauha... if someone cares.


	3. Hogsmeade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here it is! Chapter 2!
> 
> Thanks to RedSmileyFace for Beta Reading!

** Hogsmeade **

Sansa watched as Arya left the Great Hall with the Muggle-born and a fat kid, thanking the Gods that Joff wasn't there to watch it too.

"Sansa." a rough voice called and Sansa looked up. Sandor Cleagane was in front of her; Sansa felt Jeyne shiver slightly.

Sandor was Joffrey's best friend; well at least that was his title. Sandor actually was a 7th year student who, along with Joffrey, was a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team, and worked in what Sansa could only describe as "taking care of Joff".

"Joffrey is waiting for you in the common rooms." Sandor said simply, taking a step back and giving Sansa space to stand up.

' _And why didn't he came looking for me himself?_ ' Sansa wanted to ask but she knew Sandor wouldn't give her an answer.

"Alright," she muttered and stood up. She could see Jeyne pulling a little face, but didn't comment anything. She knows how scared Jeyne is of Sandor, even if Sansa constantly told her that Sandor was not going to hurt them, but still Jeyne avoided being near the big-scarred man.

While Joffrey is delicate and somewhat pretty, Sandor is big and scary, with half his face scarred by burns and using his long hair trying to cover the injured side. He had been a beater for Slytherin's Quidditch team since he was in his second year and that only added to his intimidating reputation.

Sansa had already come out of the Great Hall when Jeyne caught up with her. "Let's go the common room," she muttered quite annoyed and trying to keep her voice low so Sandor didn't hear. Jeyne asked, "Why does he has to follow us? We are not going to get lost!"

Sansa turned to glance at Sandor, who had a frown on his face, but that didn't meant he had heard Jeyne.

" _Silver_ ," Sansa said once she was in front of the Stone Wall that was the hidden entrance to the Slytherin common rooms. Inside was Joffrey with some of his friends, if someone could call them that.

"You took your time, Hound." snickered Joffrey as he stood up, with his broom in his hand, "We are going to practice, I want you to come and watch." Joffrey told Sansa and then turned to Jeyne as if an afterthought, "you can come too."

Jeyne smiled, and it was more than obvious that it wasn't a sincere smile. From all the people Sansa knew, Jeyne had been the most exited when Sansa and Joffrey got together 'you look so good together' she had said, 'he looks like a great guy' she had said.

Now Jeyne was sick of Joffrey being mean to them, and Sansa was starting to get tired too. If it weren't because they had all that history together she would break up with him.

"It sounds lovely." Sansa said smiling brightly, and turned to Jeyne, who smiled a little bit wider, and with the corner of her eye saw Sandor's frown become deeper.

"Good," Joffrey smiled. He walked towards the door and took Sansa's arm, the two of them followed by the rest of their group. Sansa just hoped there wouldn't be any problems today; once Joffrey lost his temper, his very, very short temper, he generally lashed out, and mainly at her.

All her hope of an uneventful morning vanished once they arrived at the Quidditch field.

"No, no, no! You are doing it wrong!" Arya's voice yelled at a poor guy seated on a broomstick, "How is even possible that you passed flying?"

Sansa didn't hear what the guy on the broom said, but not even a minute later he fell on the ground in what could only be a really painful way.

"Look, it's little horse-face and her muggle friend!" said Joffrey, loudly snickering, and causing Arya to turn, glaring daggers at Joffrey. Her friend on the ground stood gingerly, holding his left wrist.

"I think I broke this." he said through clenched teeth. He still hadn't acknowledged their presence, but a fat boy near them did as he jogged towards them.

"What do you want?" asked Arya looking at Sansa directly. But before Sansa could say anything, Joffrey cut in, "Our Quidditch team is going to practice, so move your arse out of here."

"But no one scheduled a practice today," Arya refuted, "we are allowed to be here!"

"You don't want to be the one to blame if your own house's team is not in shape for the first game, do you?"

" It is not going to be my fault if you all suck!"

"Arya," interjected Sansa softly, "please."

 “It's not like you could keep this going." said Jeyne trying, but failing, to help. At Arya's confused look, Jeyne's limited answer was to give 'Gendry' a pointed look.

"Your muggle can't keep flying, Horse-face," how Sansa hated when Joff used that nickname, "and unless you want to try to make that pig of yours fly, I see no reason for you to be here," Joffrey smiled cruelly, "it's not like you can join the Quidditch team yourself."

Sansa saw Arya tense, but before she even said anything, her muggle-born friend was standing before Joffrey. He stood at his full height and his icy blue eyes were looking coldly at the blond boy. That's how Joffrey looked; like a scared boy just before being scolded by his father. But the muggle-born wasn't stupid, his eyes quickly glanced at Sandor, and the rest of the Quidditch team, and having what it looked like a broken wrist, he needed to avoid a fight.

"Leave my friends alone, Baratheon."

"And if I don't?" Sansa knew that Joffrey only felt brave enough to say said it because he knew he had his teammates to defend him.

The other boy didn't answer; he just glared at him before turning to Arya and the fat kid, and then walking towards the castle.

Arya glared at Joffrey and his group, before following her friend, side by side the fat kid.

While Joffrey and his friends laughed, Sansa watched her sister, seeing the muggle born waiting for her and their friend to catch with him.

When Sansa looked at her boyfriend, he and his friend were getting on his their brooms, and Jeyne was waiting for her to return from her world.

Sansa sighed, and Jeyne and she sat to watch the Slytherin Quidditch team practice.

.-.

"I see you hurt yourself again," said Aemon Targaryen, Hogwarts' mediwizard, as he sat besides Gendry's bed, "give me your arm." He looked at it for a long time before turning to Gendry.

"I need to learn how to fly properly." Was Gendry's only explanation.

"Such a stubborn boy." Old man Aemon chuckled, "Should I let it heal in the muggle way so you learn your lesson, then?"

"At least he got hurt learning something and not in a fight," said Hot Pie.

He looked at Gendry directly, " _Brackim Emendo!"_ A crack sounded and Gendry grit his teeth, "Ferula." A piece of cloth twisted and covered his wrist immediately. Mister Targaryen sat back, "You've been in the medical wing enough times, try to be more careful."

"Thanks."

"So, how the hell did you pass flying class if you can't fly?" asked Arya in a mocking tone, but honestly intrigued. Gendry sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with his good hand.

"It's a long story."

"Is not that long," interrupted Hot Pie, "it actually is not long at all."

"Ok, is not long, I don't want to talk about it!"

"So… Hot Pie, tell me, what happened?" Arya asked sweetly to Hot Pie.

"Oh well, it was hilarious really. Last Year..."

"I'll tell the story!" Gendry almost screamed. After a deep breath, he started his story, "I used to fly quite decently, really, but midway through last year me and Hot Pie and some others were playing a game."

"Hot pie, others and me." corrected Arya

"Are you going to let me tell the story!?"

"Sorry."

"Well, we were playing a game of Quidditch, and it was going fine, I mean, it was all going fine, until…" Gendry struggled to say the next part, so Hot Pie intervened and help.

"A bludger hit him."

"Yeah, basically that happened."

"And he flew!" continued Hot Pie, ignoring Gendry's deadly glare, "He had to actually grab on the bludger or the fall would have killed him but then-"

"I actually broke virtually every bone in my body." interrupted Gendry, nodding, and finishing the story there.

Arya couldn't help the smile that creep on his face, she had heard about a boy who had had an accident the year before but it didn't finish quite there.

"You are the guy that fell on the Whomping Willow!"

"…So my reputation precedes me."

Arya heard steps and turned to the door of the medical wing.

"Waters!" the worried voice of Professor Tarth called, "What happened?"

"I just fell, it's nothing to worry about." The trio stared at professor Tarth before Hot Pie chipped in, "Why are you here, Professor?"

"Oh, well… I was worried for my student, so I came to check on him."

"My head of house never comes to the Medical Wing when anyone gets injured injures, except if it is something really serious," Arya mutters to Gendry, who simply shrugs his shoulders.

"Oh, here you are wench!" a voice boomed in the room, and Mister Targaryen simply turned to the cause with a serious expression.

"Lannister," Tarth almost growled, "what can I do for you?"

"You for me? Nothing my dear; obviously, I am here to offer you my help, since you seem to be incapable of keeping your students safe."

Professor's Tarth face turned an incredible shade of red before she snapped, "You three, to your common rooms."

"But it's not even noon!" complained Hot Pie.

"Now!" the three of them immediately stood and ran out the door, avoiding both the professor and the Auror.

"Well, that was interesting." said Gendry, chuckling, and Arya laughed.

-.-

The library was utterly silent while Bran read about the history of Hogwarts and its founding fathers. He and Jojen, a house mate, had been discussing and reading about the history surrounding the old castle, but a couple of hours before, Jojen's sister had appeared in the library looking for him. Jojen hadn't come back, but maybe he had returned to the common room, since it was late.

That was the moment Bran noticed it was really late.

Bran looked at the clock, noticing it was almost nine and felt his blood ran cold. He stood up as quickly and as quietly as he could, running towards the door. He didn't want his house to lose any points because of him, and for a moment he wished there was a way of knowing where everybody was at any given point so he wouldn't meet anyone.

He walked towards the Ravenclaw tower; everything was dark, but as he crossed some stairs they started moving.

Bran wanted to curse his luck, but he simply continued on his way, hoping that his deviation wouldn't be that long. He entered into a dark hallway, where a voice called for him.

"First year students should be in their common rooms." The voice said. It was feminine, and husky with a hint of an accent, "but you already know that, don't you Mister Stark?"

Bran looked around him; it was very dark and he could barely make out a woman's silhouette, but there was one red gem, barely shining in the dark that stood out, like a fireplace's embers, "I am sorry, I got lost and…"

"You lost track of time as you read, I know."

"...You do?"

"My fires told me," she smiled enigmatically, making her white theet glow in the dark, "you will learn how to read the fires soon, too."

"But I am first year." He stated skeptically.

"Yet, you will." She walked towards him and when she was close enough, Bran noticed her eyes shined like her necklace, "Walk back to the stairs, they will take you to the Ravenclaw Tower." she said and walked past him.

"Good night, Brandon Stark"

"Goodnight, professor."

.-.

The first week of October didn't only bring an early and mysterious cold wave, but also brought some surprises for Sansa: especially regarding her boyfriend, Joffrey. Tonight, the little prick, as her younger sister often called her boyfriend, had thought that it would be hilarious if he locked Sansa out of the common room by using a muting spell.

And now Sansa was looking at the entrance, only dressed in her thin pajamas, hugging herself as tears threaten to leave her eyes. She was so… so… so angry!

 _‘When is he letting me in?’_ She asked herself but knew that was not going to happen. Joffrey loved pranks, he simply loved making people miserable, and while sometimes he teased her, he had never used magic against her before.

It didn't mean it was the first time he made fun of her.

_Or even hurt me._

Sansa quickly shakes her head: that had been just one time, and it had been an accident. Right? She had pushed him into getting mad.

But this time she had done nothing wrong. _Nothing._

 _"_ Why is there a Little Bird out of her cage so late?" a rough voice asked, and Sansa turned her head to find Sandor Cleagane.

She sighed, relaxing her body.

"Are you hurt?" Sansa shook her head, "So why are you are not in the common room? It's past curfew." Sansa knew Sandor had been punished for getting in a fight with another seventh year, so he had to help Clydas; the castle's old and short groundskeeper.

Sansa wanted to explain; she opened her mouth but no sound came out.

Sandor simply grunted; he knew that Sansa used to be scared of him. Sandor opened the hidden door on the stone wall and Sansa rushed in. "So you are not going to tell me what's wrong?" he grunted rasp and Sansa tried to answer, again. Sandor didn't look at her, he simply took a knitted blanket that rested on a couch and threw it to Sansa, who was shivering.

"Good night," he said, almost growling, and went to his room.

Sansa sighed; she would thank him in the morning.

She quickly ran to the third year's quarters and knocked. She had to wait, but eventually the door open. Thankfully it was Arya who opened the door, "what do you want?"

Sansa opened her mouth, trying to explain, but no sound came out. Sansa was starting to get pretty annoyed by it.

"What? Did the cat eat your tongue?" Arya asked; it wasn't her usual teasing tone, but an annoyed tone.

Sansa shook her head, but then nodded and tried to explain her sister, by gestures, that she had been victim of a prank.

Arya didn't seem to get the whole message, but still she sighed, returned to the room and coming out seconds later with her wand in her hand.

" _Finite Incatatem."_ muttered Arya and Sansa stared back at her. "Well, what are you waiting for? What happened?"

"Joff," Sansa gasped, and Arya raised an eyebrow, "a prank… I'll explain, I swear, but it is late, and I'm sorry, I'll let you sleep." Sansa turned and ran to her room.

-.-

The first month of class in Care of Magical Creatures had meant Professor Drogo and Miss Targaryen constantly trying to up level each other with their classes. Professor Martell had thought it would be a great idea to have both professors working together in each class, though it had created even more friction between the young professors then otherwise. But in what seemed and incredible turn of events, something had changed. Arya didn't understand it, had tried to put a finger on whatever had changed, but she just couldn't.

Miss Targaryen giggled as Professor Drogo said something while the rest of the students read about flobberworms and how to take care of them.

 _Yep,_ Arya thoght, _they are flirting._

"They are cute, aren't they?" Myrcella Baratheon asked one of her friends, and one of them sighed, sorry for the loss.

 _‘As if they stood a chance!’_ Arya thought.

Myrcella Baratheon is Joffrey's younger sister; because of Arya's obvious dislike for the blonde jerk, she and Myrcella had never even tried to get along, but Arya thought she wasn't half bad.

_‘Still, she is a Baratheon.’_

_"_ Class," Miss Targaryen called with a bright smile, "you are dismissed."

Some kid muttered something about being 20 minutes too early to leave, but everyone quickly grabbed their bags, hoping to leave as fast as possible. Free time was something precious.

Arya thought to maybe go looking for Gendry and Hot Pie. Arya had found in the pair of older boys really good friends, even if Hot Pie constantly complained about stuff and Gendry was constantly being stupid. But Arya remembered they were probably still in class, since she doubted any other professor was letting the students leave 20 minutes early. Arya weighted her options for a minute before choosing to go to an empty classroom and read a book she had just gotten from the library.

She searched for a classroom near her friends, so she could catch up with them when they finished, but when she opened the door of what she was sure was an empty classroom she found someone already using it.

"Sorry," she muttered quickly as Professor Forel turned from whatever he was preparing for his next class, "I didn't meant to interrupt."

"Ah, boy, don't worry, don't worry, you are not interrupting anything."

Arya frowned; she knew she was not the most beautiful girl in the world, but she had never been called a boy, it was weird, but she didn't think too much on it.

"…What are you preparing?" Arya asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Today I will teach Dueling class so this is for a demonstration." Professor Forel explained, pointing at what seemed like a long and fancy table.

"Dueling class?"

"Oh yes, yes, don't worry! I will teach dueling to each class, using charms for each level, of course. I don't expect you to know most difficult chams, boy." Forel's thick accent and way of talking made it a little difficult for Arya to understand him. "Do you like the idea of Duelling?" he asked with a big smile.

"I… I think so." Arya said. Of course it seemed interesting, but …

"You think so?"

Arya had just gotten a book on old sword fighting techniques muggles used centuries ago, so the first thing she thought when she heard 'Dueling' was swords. “it's just… I thought of… swords, not charms and…"

"Are you interested in dueling with swords?" the question was not mocking, nor mean, it was just a simple question.

"I… yes."

Syrio Forel studied for a second, his brown eyes piercing on hers, "I see what can I do with that." He said but Arya didn't know if he was talking to himself or to her.

"I'll leave, then."

"Oh, yes, yes, you are dismissed, boy." He replied absentmindedly.

-.-

Brandon Stark knew it was not polite to stare, his mother had told him that hundreds of times. But as Professor Greyjoy ranted about how the youth lost their time with meaningless moments instead of drowning because 'what is dead cannot die', taking big gulps of water from a skin he carried around his neck, and saying how the drowned god had blessed him: it was impossible to part his eyes from him.

It was incredible that this humorless, dirty, ratty, and overly devoted man was a relative of Theon, his older brother's best friend.

History had always been one of his favorites subject when studying with Maester Luwin, an nice old man who had instructed all the Stark children before each moved on to Hogwarts, but since Bran had arrived at the castle, History had become more of a constant preaching of the Drowned God, stories the professor remembered form students' ancestors, and his own life.

He had had a really interesting life.

Bran quickly turned his eyes when professor Greyjoy, or "Damphair" as most called him, turned directly to him. He really didn't want to hear the story of how Damphair's older brother and Bran's father had dueled, or fought, or whatever it was that they had done to hate each other so much.

Bran's friend, Jojen Reed, was seated next to him. Bran wasn't so sure why he called Jojen his friend; he rarely talked, was very serious, and he always seemed to know something Bran didn't, and that sometimes irritated Bran.

But Jojen was part of his house, so they spent a lot of time together.

The class was over before Damphair could start inviting more students to get blessed by the drowned god, and everyone flew from the class.

 _"Sometimes I wonder if it's actually water that man carries around his neck."_ Arya had told him when telling him about school during her first year, and now Bran understood why: his constant rambling sounded really similar to Robert Baratheon's his father's best friend speeches when he was drunk.

"Jojen!" His line of thought was cut short when he heard a female voice he was starting to know too well.

"Meera, what's wrong?" Jojen asked.

Meera Reed was Jojen's older sister; she was the same age as Arya and had green eyes like Jojen. And Bran thought she was beautiful.

"I just wanted to know how you were doing" she said cheerily, completely different from Jojen. It seemed that all the energy that family had has been inherited by Meera.

"I am fine, thanks." Jojen said quite dryly, and Meera frowned.

"Great," she seemed to dislike her brother's tone but didn't say anything, "well see each other later, all right? Tomorrow is the Hogsmeade trip and I was wondering if there was anything you'd like?"

"No, thanks."

Meera rolled her eyes, "Fine." She turned to Bran and smiled sweetly, "Hi, Bran."

"Hello." he said, trying to not sound so much like a child.

"Well, I'm going to the Great hall," she said walking towards a group of her girlfriends in her same year, "later, little bro." Even her steps were more cheery than Jojen's.

-.-

Hogsmeade was everything Arya had dreamed of and more. After years and years of hearing stories from her brothers, Arya already knew everything one needed to know from the town.

"Oh! We could go to Honeydukes! I should totally buy something for Bran. And I swore Robb I was going to get him a pair of screaming socks from Gladrags Wizardwear, and we could go to Zonko's-" But Arya is interrupted by Hot Pie.

"Why can't we just stay at the Three Broomsticks, drinking?"

"Oh, come on! Look how excited she looks." said Gendry, almost laughing.

"Don't talk about me like I wasn't here."

"Plus, don't you remember the first time we came here?" Continued Gendry, ignoring Arya, "We spent, no you spent like two hours at Honeydukes!"

Hot Pie grumbled something but then smiled when Arya said she would buy him something. When the group walked in front of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, however, the trio had to stop.

"Is that…?" started Hot Pie

"With…" continued Arya, as shocked as her friend.

Professor Drogo was seated in front of Miss Targaryen, both of them chatting and smiling and laughing and so.. so…

"Oh God!" laughed Gendry, "I thought it was a joke when people started saying they were an item!"

"But they hate each other."

"Yeah Arya, but that was before."

"And now what?! They love each other? It's stupid!"

"I think they are cute." said a voice behind them. The three of them jumped to see Sansa besides Jeyne, who was smiling slyly at them, "They are in love."

"They are not in love, Sansa, they've just met!"

"Whatever."

"Wait," Arya stopped her sister form leaving, "why are you not there with Joffrey? I though every couple sat there."

"Been there enough times," said Sansa with a clipped smile, "we thought we could just spend time with out friends today." Seeing Jeyne mirroring her sisters uneasy smile, Arya knew there was more, much more than that: probably another fight.

Sansa left as silently as she arrived and the trio went back to their own business. Arya tried not to worry about her sister for the rest of the trip.

-.-

Brienne sat in front of her desk reading different reports about her students, why each professor had given points to her house members and why they had taken points from them, too. While also checking on the fifth and seventh years' grades, OWLs and NEWTs always meant extra attentions for any possible doubt.

A knock sounded, and Brienne answered in a loud and clear voice, without taking her eyes out of her scrolls, "Come in."

"I swear to you wench, this school is so much more boring that when I was a student." said the arrogant voice of Jaime Lannister.

"Maybe if you did your job instead of terrorizing me every minute, you would be more entertained."

"Oh, certainly not," he said, with a mocking tone in his voice and Brienne knew that if she turned to look at him, in his face too, "I am most entertained when I spend time with you."

Brienne didn't understand why she felt herself blush.

"So you just ignore your job."

"Oh, no, I certainly do my job."

"Really? Then why are you here and not at Hogsmeade, making sure the students are safe?"

A minute of silence passes until Jamie speaks again, this time his voice serious, "I'm not here to keep the students safe." Brienne lets herself ignore the scroll in front of her and looks at Jaime, who has a serious expression and is looking at some point on the wall, "I'm here to get sure those monsters Qyburn created don't escape."

"Oh?"

"But, as I already checked that everything is closed," he spoke again with a lighter tone, "I came here to check on my favorite wench." he smiled at her his brightest, widest and most annoying smile.

_Oh someone kill me now._

-.-

Arya and Hot Pie devoured the cauldron cakes that she had bought for them at Honeydukes—Gendry had saved his for another day. The group was thinking on what activity to do next.

"We could always go to Three Broomsticks." commented Hot Pie, but both Gendry and Arya dismissed the idea; the weather was nice enough to be outside, and by the quick decrease of temperature of the last month, they both supposed they should make the most of the day.

They were walking near the post office when Arya spotted Professor Forel walking by.

"Oh, hello boy!" the professor greeted cheerily with his thick accent, while carrying a big parcel.

"Hello professor," greeted in the same way "what do you have there? It is for class?"

"Oh, this is nothing for class, this is special." he said, his smile widening, "Go to my office later and I'll show you, it will be of your most interest." The professor nodded to the boys, "Pie boy, Waters." he acknowledge, and left after that.

"What could that be?" asked Gendry, not actually expecting an answer.

"Dunno, but I'll learn soon enough." Arya murmured.

-.-.-.-.-

Arya stood outside Professor Forel's office; since there was still time before the Halloween feast started.

"Come in," called the accented voice inside the office. Once Arya entered she saw Proffesor Forel carrying a pair of long wooden sticks, "Oh, boy! You have arrived."

"Uhm, yeah." Arya stood shifting her weight from one foot to another nervously, "Professor, I don't know if your are not aware of it, but I am a girl."

"…Why is that relevant, boy?"

"I just, thought you should know." Arya sighed, "why did you call me here, sir?"

"I am teaching you how to dance." he said simply.

"Dance?"

"Water Dance." He said throwing her one of the wooden swords.

Arya stretched her arm but the sword slipped from her grasp and fell.

"Tomorrow you will catch it."

"Sir?"

"You said you were interested in sword fighting, so I will teach you." He took his wooden sword and got himself in position, Arya copied him.

-.-.-.-

Bran sat on his bed, breathing heavily. He had dreamed he was still in Winterfell; he was playing with Shaggydog but the big black wolf had stopped and ran back inside the house, and Bran remembered following him, walking on four legs. _'Why I was walking on four legs?'_

"What did you see?" a quiet voice asked. Jojen sat on his bed. Even in the dark Bran knew he was looking directly at him.

"I was back home," Bran gasped, "I was Summer, my wolf." he tried to calm his breathing, "What did it mean?"

Jojen lay back on his bed, "I don't know." he whispered.

 _'Maybe I just miss Summer'_ Bran thought, _'But it's ok, I will see him soon.'_

"You won't." said Jojen, before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sick I don’t know how I’m going to class tomorrow.
> 
> Thanks to all who reviewed and kudoed and followed!!
> 
> I would love to write a longer comment but… you know, sickness and stuff.


	4. Fear Cuts Deeper than Swords

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like alwaaaays thanks to RedSmileyFace for Beta-reading :)

Sansa, Arya and Bran were sitting together at the Slytherin table after receiving the morning mail, reading their parent's letter.

"Riverrun," Sansa read out loud, "it sounds fun." She says, even if her voice doesn't reflect that.

"I don't want to go to Riverrun during my holydays," Arya hisses, taking the letter from her sister's hands and reading it over and over again, "there is nothing to do there."

"We could tell them we want to stay at school." Bran suggests, and Sansa sighs.

"Mom is going to hate it."

The letter from their parents inform the three kids about their decision to spend the holydays with their mother's family, and asking them if they would go back or stay at school for their vacation time. The fact that they had asked gave Sansa the idea that they knew the three of them would prefer staying at Hogwarts.

They were right.

It was actually an easy guess. Robb, their oldest brother, wouldn't go since he was working during the holydays at his new job at the ministry. Their half-brother, Jon, had been coming and going outside the city since he had graduated the last summer. Without those two their foster brother, Theon, if Sansa could call him that way, was not going either. Poor baby Rickon was going to be stuck all alone with their parents this holyday.

"We should answer the letter." Bran said, taking out a scroll and a quill.

"Maybe I could ask them permission to go with Joffrey this Holyday." Sansa musses, and Arya's head quickly snaps at her direction, forgetting all about the letter.

"What?"

"Well he is my boyfriend," Sansa explained, as if it was the most logical thing in the world, "it would be nice to spend the holydays with him, and his parents."

"You know what would be nice? You dumping him."

"Arya!" Sansa gasped, horrified.

"What? He is a little shit." Arya mutters, and Bran laughs at his sister's comment, but besides that doesn't say anything else.

Bran promised he would send the letter as soon as he could, and soon each Stark left to their classes. Sansa almost ran to her next class.

Sansa couldn't pay attention to anything, waiting excitedly for the answer from her parents. It had been months since she felt so excited about anything. Her day went fast, she barely spoke during lunch and dinner, but Joffrey didn't seem to notice; that wasn't a problem for Sansa, these holydays she would spend with Joffrey and it would be perfect.

Sansa wasn't dumb, she knew her relationship wasn't perfect, but it was just going through a rough patch. She knows Joffrey and her are meant to be together, to marry, to have perfect children… even if it had been a while since the last time they had done anything romantic. But after these holydays everything would go back to normal, Joffrey and her would be back to the couple they used to be. Sansa wanted to tell this to everyone; but she knew Jeyne wasn't Joffrey's biggest fan anymore, the rest of her Slytherin friends were not so close to her, and Arya simply hated him.

The next day she received a letter from her dad, and it didn't matter how many ways she tried to read it, she only understood one thing.

_“No.”_

And she felt her heart crumble.

"Is not fair!" Sansa tells Arya over breakfast just after reading the letter. Arya looks up from her probably stolen copy of 'The Daily Prophet'.

"I don't see the unfairness of it." Arya casually mentioned, going back to her reading. "Actually, I even think it's a good thing."

 _'How can she say something like that?_ ' Sansa is not stupid, and knows she and Arya are not so very close, but she had expected a little bit more support from her younger sister.

Sansa saw her sister pout, and suspected her reading was actually a smokescreen to look smarter and eventually she would look up at her. After discovering that was a lost cause, Sansa sighed and looked back at the letter their father had sent her.

"This is just terrible," Sansa whispered, and then rested her chin on her hand, with her elbow on the table, "Jeyne will leave to spend time with her father during the holidays, and I will be all alone."

Arya then looked up from her paper raising an eyebrow. "Thanks." She said dryly.

Sansa rolled her eyes and stood up, going to find Jeyne. Sansa couldn't help to notice how different her day was from the day before: her classes now felt dull and the time passed terribly slowly.

By the time lunch came, Sansa started praying to all the gods that her father was just being funny and would send her another letter the next day, explaining to her that it was all a joke and that he and Robert Baratheon, Joffrey's father, had already discussed her stay at the Baratheon Home.

 _'Stupid girl with stupid dreams'_ she told herself that night before falling asleep, knowing her fate was sealed: she was going to spend Christmas with her sister and brother in Hogwarts, instead of with her boyfriend and his family. She wanted to scream.

-.-.-.-

"What are you two going to do during Christmas break?" Arya asked Arya to Gendry and Hot Pie, as the three of them where lazing around in the courtyard. The day was cold and the three of them were supporting their backs against the wall, the snow crunching beneath their feet.

"I'm going to spend this Christmas here," Hot Pie said as he took a bite of a cake he had in his hand, "my dad is quite upset about it, during Christmas the bakery has a lot of extra orders but my mum says she could help," he sighed, "but for mum help always means a spell or two and leaving the shop alone."

Hot Pie's dad was a muggle, and his mom was a witch. He had told Arya that his mom had grown up with muggles, going to a muggle school before Hogwarts and met Hot Pie's dad when they were both children, who eventually met up again years later. From what Arya had heard, Hot Pie's dad didn't have a problem with magic in the household, but he didn't like it when it was used on his baking.

"And you Gendry?" Arya asked. , and he just shrugged.

He just shrugged, "I always spend the holidays here."

Arya just nodded. Contrary to Hot Pie, Gendry never talked about his life outside Hogwarts. Arya tried not to think a lot about it; some people simply didn't like to share. But being honest with herself, she was a little upset at the fact he didn't trust her.

"Uh," Gendry starts, probably trying to divert the conversation from the subject, "how are your classes with Forel going?"

Arya smiles without being unable to stop it, "They've been good."

Arya had told her friends she was going to 'Water Dance' classes and they had assumed it meant a real dancing class. Every day after class she would go to Syrio's office and she would practice for an hour and a half. Generally Syrio would beat her to the pulp, but during the past few classes Arya had been able to hit the Braavosi a couple of times per match.

No one actually knows of the nature of her classes except Jon, her favorite brother. She had written to him the day Syrio had told her about training her and she gave Jon an update every time she learned something new. She had thought that maybe she was boring Jon, but when she wrote him about her worry he assured her he was happy to read that she was having a good time at school.

The bell signaling the end of lunch break rings and Arya stands up quickly, eager to go to her Muggle Studies class with Professor Rayder. Besides Defense Against the Dark Arts, Muggle Studies was her favorite subject.

Arya found Muggle Studies interesting, but when she had first picked that class as an elective Sansa had reacted as if she was being insulted, claiming Muggle Studies wasn't even a real subject, just a way to waste one's time. "How can you call it interesting, Arya? They're muggles!" Arya didn't even listen to Sansa whose elective is Arithmancy, the dullest subject on earth.

"Today," Professor Rayder said to his class, "we are going to study about the evolution of muggle ways of transportation in water." He took out a chalk and started writing on the blackboard. With that he started a long story about muggle ships.

After the last classes were over, Arya ran to the bathroom and changed to more comfortable clothes for practice. Even with the snow outside, once she started to 'dance' she would start sweating like it was the middle of summer.

"Boy," Syrio called her as she entered the practice room adjacent to his office, "next week you will not come. I don't want you distracted from your exams." Arya nodded and immediately took her stance, and then Syrio attacked without warning.

"Stop being so scared of the sword." Syrio told her after hitting her hip. They were not using real swords but wooden swords; still, every hit left a bruise, "What do I always tell you?"

"Fear cuts deeper than swords."

 _'Swift as a deer. Quiet as a shadow._ ' Arya thought the mantra Syrio had taught her. She winced once Syrio's sword connected with her thigh, "Fear cuts deeper than swords," she breathes _. 'Quick as a snake. Calm as still water._ ' Syrio almost hits her head, but Arya gave a little jump back, miscalculating her step and falling on her butt.

"Fear cuts deeper than swords." The Braavosi remind her. Arya rolled on her side, and stood before Syrio could 'kill her' and attacked her teacher with all the strength she could muster.   _'Strong as a bear. Fierce as a wolverine. Fear cuts deeper than swords.'_

The match was uneven, as every day, but Arya gave it all she had, trying to win, trying to hit Syrio, trying not to be hit, not for fear but so she wouldn't lose.  

"The man who fears losing has already lost." Syrio said just before using his sword to make her trip again, and placing his sword against her neck, "Fear cuts deeper than swords."

 _'Fear cuts deeper than swords. Fear cuts deeper than swords'_ Arya repeated to herself as she tried to catch her breath.

Almost two hours after finishing her classes Arya ran to the bath house, getting a long relaxing bath, checking her body, finding where she would have new bruises in the morning. She tried not to think too much about her bruises, but after falling on her butt she was worried she would wince every time she stood up or sat down, and Sansa would notice.

Arya closed her eyes and simply relaxed, letting the warm water loosen her muscles and the perfumes in the bath tickle her nose. When she opened her eyes again she was wrinkly, and sure that if she stayed any longer, she would be late for dinner, if she were not late already.

She changed and ran to the Great Hall, but as she expected it was empty, and now she had to run to the common room before anyone took points out from her house. She was in the dungeons, close to the Slytherin's entrance, when she heard noises, steps.

"Shit" she muttered, and hid behind an a suit of armor, hoping that in the dark no one would notice her.

She waited, holding her breath and closing her eyes until the steps passed, but just before the steps disappeared around the corner they stopped and she heard professor Tarth's very annoyed voice: "I cannot believe it escaped!" She hissed.

Arya opened her eyes, breathing softly.

"It didn't escape, wench, it broke it's cage!" responded the Lannister's voice, "Lucky for you the door has a charm that doesn't let it go out of the room." His voice sounded smug in the last sentence.

"Lucky for you, if those chimeras broke out…" Professor Tarth drifted off and sighed. Arya held her breath again. "Look, stop harassing me and start doing your job; this was a signal for you to stop doing whatever you do the whole day."

Arya heard their steps again and heard the Auror's laugh. "But the only thing I do all day long is to enjoy annoying you!"

-.-.-.-

Bran said goodbye to Jojen and Meera, who quickly entered the carriage that would take them to the train station.

"I see you will be staying with us these holydays." A soft voice said. Melissandre was behind him, wearing a red dress way to thin for the cold weather.

"Professor, aren't you cold?" Bran asked.

Melissandre smiled and touched the ruby on her neck, "With the fires of R'hllor with me, I will never feel cold."

Bran wanted to know if she and professor Greyjoy fought about whose God was manmade and which God was real.

"I assure you me and professor Greyjoy never discuss such things," she smiled at him, "especially since professor Greyjoy refuses to speak to me at all." Bran stared at the red woman but didn't answer, "You should come one day to my office, to drink some tea," Melissandre then touched again the gem at her throat, "we could discuss your dreams."

Bran didn't know how to react, so he simply nodded and ran inside the castle, to the Great Hall.

Since most of the students had left the school, Professor Martel had taken three of the tables and had just left one at the middle of the Hall. His sisters were sitting across each other, and besides Arya were her friends.

"Melissandre just invited me to her office to drink tea." Bran blurted out, sitting besides Sansa. The four older students looked at him.

Arya laughs. "Don't worry little brother; you are too young for her!" she says, ruffling his hair.

"I'm… I'm not talking about that!" Bran struggled for words, "I just think it is weird… and she…"

"She is scary" blurted out the tall boy besides Arya, Gendry. Bran nodded.

"You think so too?" Bran asked, he had not dared to tell his sisters about his fear for the mysterious woman, but something in him kept telling him to keep his distance from her.

The tall boy just shrugs, "I mean, I suppose there are scarier things, but she gives me the creeps."

"You two are crazy, there is nothing wrong with Miss Melissandre." said Sansa, opening a book that looked too fancy to be an academic book.

"She doesn't even have a last name!" cried Arya's fat friend. Bran was almost sure he had heard Arya call him Hot Pie.

"Isn't it 'Asshai' or something like that?" Arya wondered out loud.

"No, that's just from where she comes from." muttered Sansa, already to immersed in her reading. Arya shrugged, proving how much she cares about the subject, and stands up, urging her friends to do the same. And with a sigh, both followed her.

"Where are you going?" Bran didn't want to be alone with Sansa.

"To the Quidditch field."

"Still can't stay on the air?" Sansa asked with a monotonous tone. She didn't need to say to who the question was directed at as as it was quite obvious. The tall boy besides Arya blushes, and Arya only rolled her eyes and muttered something similar to 'stupid' before heading out.

Bran sat there for a minute before looking back at his oldest sister and back to the small group going out.

"Wait!" he called, standing and followed Arya and her friends, listening to Hot Pie commenting about the cold.

.-.-.-

Brienne knew crying would be ridiculous, childish, and simply wrong: but, god, how she wanted to cry.

"So…" asked the blond Auror taking his time to sit down, "what are we going to do with all this free time, wench?"

-.-.-.

Who was Sansa kidding? Seriously, who? She had being reading for the past hour and a half, and hadn't read past the first chapter. Her mind kept drifting back to Joffrey, and what Joffrey was doing at that moment, and what would she being doing if she was with Joffrey.

_'You would probably still be bored.'_

Sansa groaned, closing the book. She stared ahead, her elbow on the table so she could place her chin in her hand. She was so bored. For a moment she considers a napping for the rest of the holydays, but movement beside her made her turn her head.

Sandor Cleagane had just entered the Great Hall, cleaning the snow that had clung to his cloak. Sansa raised her hand, trying to catch his attention, and when he looked at her, gestured to him to sit with her, across the table, "Hi Sandor."

"Little Bird," he rasps, but not rudely.

"I didn't know you would stay at Hogwarts for the holydays too." Sansa comments happily. Even if Sandor was more of an acquaintance of Joffrey, Sansa had to admit that from time to time she did enjoy his company.

"Well, yeah," his expression was almost confused; "I spend the holydays here every year."

"Oh, really?" Sansa felt bad for not knowing; she had dated Joffrey for over two years, and she had socialized with Sandor since then. How had she never thought on asking him about his holydays? "And your family doesn't mind?"

For a second Sansa didn't know if Sandor was growling: his laugh was so low and so gruff that Sansa felt a little nervous.

"What family? My dad cares fuck about me, and my mother and sister are dead."

Sansa looked at her book nervously, trying to come up with something to fix her mistake, "I-I'm sorry, I… I thought maybe your brother and…" Sansa regretted saying the words the moment they flew out of her mouth. She knew Sandor and his brother didn't talk.

And for all she knows, she is the only person that knows why.

Sandor's face fell, "Ah, yes, my dear brother."

"I'm so sorry…" Sansa tries to apologize but Sandor just waves his hand, trying to stop her apologies. He stands up.

"I'm going to the common room."

"Sandor, I am so sorry, I forgot."

He didn't' stop, but Sansa saw his steps falter, and she could do nothing but bury her head in her hands. She peeked to check if anybody had turned and saw their little interaction, but the few people in the Great Hall were distracted by their own business.

Sansa just couldn't understand why every time she was more than one minute alone with Sandor, she always, always, ended up saying something to upset him.

-.-.-.-.-

Arya loves her brother, she really does, but she wants to tell to Hot Pie and Gendry about what she had heard so badly she felt the words at the tip of her tongue. Of course she would, but she couldn't if Bran was with them.

"So, are we playing?" Bran asked cheerily and Arya felt bad for wanting him to leave.

"What do you say, bro? Starks against not Starks?" Arya asked with a smile.

The game itself was short: the cold weather not allowing them to fly very fast. Not that the brooms that the school landed the students could go especially fast anyway.

"Arya!" Bran called from the ground and Arya flew to him, "this is crazy, we can't play like this!"

"Come on! Don't be such a crybaby! It is just a little bit of wind!" Arya said nonchalantly, even if she could feel her own arms trembling a little.

"We can play another day," Bran tried to reason, "some day that is not so cold."

"Please." Arya begged, as she returned to the ground, where her friends and brother had already settled.

"It is too cold." Hot Pie said, rubbing his arms for warmth. He and Bran were the first ones to turn and walk towards the castle, while Arya stayed behind; she kicked the snow on the floor.

"You know they are right," Gendry commented, looking at her brother and friend, "it is too cold for flying."

"Yeah, I know," Arya said, looking down at the broom, "It's just... I really wanted to play, you know?"

Gendry cocked his head, looking at her curiously, "why don't you try for the Quidditch team?"

"Joffrey," she said as she started walking, knowing Gendry would follow her, catching up with her rather quickly, "he has been on the team since always…"

"And that is enough to keep you away from the team?" Gendry asks, interrupting Arya.

"…And now he is the Capitan." Arya says, "There is no way he is letting me join, not even do a try-out. Now less than ever." Arya says the last thing to herself, thinking of Micah. She hadn't received an answer to any of her letters to him, and she had sent plenty.

Arya forced herself to not think about anything regarding the 'Micah Accident' as her sister called it.

"What a little shit." Gendry said, making Arya chuckle.

"A little shit indeed."

The pair reached the castle, where Hot Pie was waiting for them, and there was no sign of Bran anywhere. Arya took her chance: "There are chimeras in the castle!" Arya tells them, after checking there was truly no one in earshot. She was trying to sound casual, too casual so her friends wouldn't suspect her intentions. They didn't buy it.

"So?" asked Gendry.

"Nothing, nothing, I just thought, well, that it would be interesting to… you know… find them?" Gendry gave her a pointed look and Arya cried defensively.

"Arya…" Gendry groaned, "that sounds…"

"Stupid?" suggested Hot Pie. "Suicidal?"

"Dangerous." Gendry stated.

"Oh! Come on! It would be fun!"

"Arya…" both boys groaned.

"I'm being serious! There is nothing to do during the holidays, we could investigate and…"

"Arya." said Gendry, with a tone that Arya hadn't heard before. It was a tone that left no space for arguing.

"But…"

"Arya!"

"I swear it's safe!" Arya promises, "I heard Professor Tarth and Lannister talk about it! There is a spell that doesn't let them get out of the room. So there's nothing that could go wrong!"

Arya saw both Gendry and Hot Pie looking at each other, and she knew she had them.

.-.

Brienne tried to calm down, she still had several reports on the students of her house and she wanted to finish them before Christmas. OWLs students needed guidance on what to do for the rest of their lives, Brienne wanted to laugh and cry at the idea; it was a huge responsibility. She didn't want her students to start a career in something that her students wouldn't truly enjoy, like she had.

 _"Well,"_ Brienne thought to herself _, "it was not the career I disliked but the team and their stupid bets…"_

But Brienne didn't like to think about that. All that was in the past and Brienne had no reason to keep remembering those bad times.

Or any other bad times.

"So, what you are doing?" asked a male voice besides Brienne. She didn't jump; she is not even surprised to see him here.

"What do you want, Lannister?" Brienne asks between clenched teeth.

"Nothing, I'm just curious on what the wench is doing?"

Brienne took a deep breath, deciding to ignore Jaime Lannister.

"So, wench, are you doing anything interesting?"

Brienne didn't answer.

"And why are you here? Your office is so much more comfy."

Still nothing came out her mouth.

"Are those the grades of an actual student? Poor soul is never going to graduate."

Brienne didn't utter a sound.

"So tell me wench, why didn't you leave the school for the holidays? Don't you have anyone waiting to warm up your bed outside this old castle?"

Brienne could feel her cheeks grow hot, but still kept her mouth shut while the blond Auror kept talking incessantly.

"Is that a blush? It's so a blush! Tell me, who is man enough to warm up our beautiful wench's bed?" Jaime asked with a tint of laughter, and Brienne couldn't take it anymore. How dare he be so cruel to her?

She stood up slamming her hands on the desk. Jaime stopped chuckling at that and when Brienne stalked out of the classroom he quickly stood up and followed her, calling her name.

"Hey! Brienne! Wait up, would you…?" Brienne stopped and turned, looking at Jaime directly in the eyes.

"You are an asshole, you know that?" Brienne didn't curse, she truly never did, but Jaime Lannister was worth that and more. "Why?" Brienne cried, almost screaming, "Why do you keep following me? Why do you have to mock me… all. The. TIME?!"

"I..."

"Oh, and you don't just mock me when you find me, no. You actually spend time looking for me! Just to annoy me!" Jaime tries to answer but the moment he opens his mouth Brienne keeps going, "And you know what's the worst part? I actually hide; I hide from you, and end up grading things, and checking reports, and whatnot in classrooms so I don't have to see you! BUT YOU ALWAYS FIND ME!"

Jaime smiles a little, unable to help himself, "I may have a secret or two under my sleeve, wench."

Brienne just turned and left Jaime there, not turning when he called for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for today….
> 
> I am little nervous because I made Sansa look all delusional about her relationship with Joff, but for me that's cannon!
> 
> Thanks to all those who kudoed, reviews, commented, faved this story.


	5. Breakfast

In the morning, Sansa sees Sandor eating breakfast alone, sitting almost at the end of the table. She decides to make her way towards him, sitting beside him before reaching for some fruit.

"What are you doing here?" Sandor asks.

Sansa looks at him with a small smile, the one that clearly sends the message 'I am perfectly sweet and innocent without any hidden agenda'. "I came to sit here and eat my breakfast." She answers before reaching for some honey for her fruit.

"Why?" Sandor asks, and Sansa tries to look even more innocent and sweet, "You never sit with me, why start now?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, let me guess. Since no one from your little group of followers is around for the holidays…"

 _'Joffrey's followers._ ' She wants to correct.

"… you have no one else to sit with but with your boyfriend's 'dog'?" he asks. He is not angry; actually, Sansa is almost sure he is playing with her. So, Sansa ignores the comment. She's aware that since she started dating Joffrey she and Sandor had never sat alone together. 'Not that we had sat alone before that, but still,' and she has to admit that even if she wasn't scared of Sandor, she would never have spent time with him alone by her own choice, let alone eat breakfast with him.

Maybe that's because Joffrey would hate that you spend time with another guy alone.

 _‘Nah, that's just crazy._ ’

When Sansa came back from her thoughts she noticed Sandor was looking at her with and odd look. "Is there something wrong with you?"

"No, sorry," Sansa apologized, "I was just thinking… nothing, really. Sorry."

"You keep apologizing." Sandor grunted.

"Sorry." Sansa said quickly, before giggling for repeating herself.

Sandor didn't say anything, but Sansa saw the corner of his lip twitching slightly.

 _'Good.'_ Sansa thought, proud for making Sandor laugh.

Well, almost.

-.-

Brienne was eating her breakfast, sitting at the professor's table. She was one of the few professors who had stayed during the holydays. Willas Tyrell, who was the closest to Brienne's age, and and the one who she was closest to in friendship, had gone to Highgarden to visit his family during the holydays.

 _'His family which includes Loras'_ Brienne thought. She tried to get rid of those thoughts; knowing what what she would end up thinking if she kept that line of thought.

"Good Morning!" Brienne heard Jaime greet, but chose to ignore. "Oh, come on! You cannot still be mad about yesterday!" Brienne simply gave him a sideways glance, not even looking at him for more than few seconds. "It was all just in good fun."

"Good fun." Brienne muttered, more to herself then to him.

"What was that?" Jaime asked, acting as if everything was forgiven and forgotten; but the moment Jaime caught Brienne's glare he knew she was still mad. "Oh, you are over reacting." he said as he stretched his arm to grab some ham. "Or what? Don't you know what some good fun means? Oh, I bet you know what good fun is."

"I know what 'good fun' means to those like you" Brienne stood, trying her hardest to not make a scene in front of the students present. They could be few, but in Hogwarts gossip flew faster than a Golden Snitch. So she goes to her office, and once there Brienne slumps into her chair.

"Wench!" Jaime Lannister was slightly agitated, after trying to catch up to Brienne's angry strut.

Brienne ignores him, taking out a parchment and quilt.

"What was that?" Jaime asks once he's gotten his breath back, gesturing vaguely back towards the main hall, "I only greeted you and you end up running away like a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

Brienne couldn't help giving Jaime an incredulous look.

"What?! They are real! I read it in the Quibbler!" Brienne rolled her eyes, and went back to ignoring him. "I feel terrible," stated Jaime, in the most serious and solemn voice Brienne had ever heard, "I don’t even know what I said,but whatever I did, I feel terrible… was it the 'wench' thing? I thought you approved the 'wench' thing…"

"It is not the wench thing…" Brienne hears herself mutter, and for a second she cannot believe it, "it's… it's the whole 'beautiful' thing, and the…"

 _'It's the mocking.'_ She wants to say, but the words don't come out.

"So I can call you 'wench' but not beautiful?" Brienne grinds her teeth when she hears Jaime laugh, "That's just messed up…"

Brienne's patience ends, and she quickly takes her wand and with a swift movement of her wrist, sends Jaime Lannister flying out of her office before slamming the door.

"Much. Better."

-.-.-

"When should we go?" Gendry asks, while Arya stuffs her mouth with hash brown.

It is almost noon, but Arya had just woken up a few minutes ago, so Hot Pie and Gendry wait while she eats breakfast. Arya points to the bacon and Gendry, who is sitting beside her, hands it to her.

"During nighttime?” Hot Pie asked.

"Obviously," Arya mumbled, still half asleep, "don't be stupid." She adds.

Hot Pie frowns, "I don't like sleepy Arya. Sleepy Arya is mean."

"Sleepy Arya is Honest Arya," Arya mumbled again before taking another bite.

Gendry laughs before asking again, "So when does Sleepy Arya does think we should go?"

Arya stops eating to think for a moment, "Christmas eve," she finally says, "there is going to be this big banquet, everyone will be distracted, some probably drunk, we can sneak in to the dungeons then."

"And the Lannister?" asks Hot Pie, "You honestly think he will abandon his job for the night?"

A silence settled between them, until the three of them, at the same time, burst out laughing.

"G-Gods," Arya says, still laughing, "That's why I like keeping you around!"

They kept on planning. The three of them would go back to bed early, or so they would say, but would meet near the potions storage room instead. The only thing they couldn't be sure of was if they should wait until everybody went to bed or act during the actual feast.

"So, that settles it, Christmas Eve it is."

"What's during Christmas Eve?" a female voice asks from behind Arya, and she cringes. It was Sansa, standing behind her sister, holding a book and looking at Arya with suspicious eyes.

"The… A… Uhm. The banquet?" Arya says, sounding unsure.

"Arya," Sansa presses, "What are you planning?"

"Oh, it's nothing, really!" Arya said, biting her lip and avoiding Sansa's eyes.

"I will send a letter to mom!" Sansa threatens.

"No, Sansa!" Arya bit her lip again, and looks at Gendry and Hot Pie, who look properly terrified. "Gen… Gen and Hot Pie…" Arya looks at the table, looking completely guilty, "they were going to get me alcohol, for the banquet…"

"WHAT?!" Sansa shrieks, scandalized. Arya shot a quick glance at her friends, whose terror quickly turns to confusion.

"Be quiet!" Arya says, "if you tell anyone… please, don't' tell anyone!" Arya's eyes are wet with unshed tears.

Sansa gave Arya a hard look before answering, "I won't tell something that you don't do."

Arya smiles brightly and Sansa turns and leaves. When Arya turned again to her friends both had their mouths agape.

"That… was… brilliant!" exclaimed Hot Pie, and Gendry ruffled her hair, making her laugh.

-.-.-

Sansa was no idiot; she almost sprinted to the Groundskeeper's house where she knew Sandor would be.

Sandor was in detention until further notice; he had, among other things, punched a couple of kids, started a couple of fights in Hogsmeade, and spiked the punch during his sixth's year's Christmas party.

Sansa was sure that the last one hadn't been him, but that he had taken all the blame. But he did that only with the spiked punch, with the rest of stuff Sansa knew for a fact he was guilty.

She arrived at Clydas' little cabin, and saw Sandor chopping some wood.

"I thought it was the House Elves' jobs to chop wood for the castle." Sansa says casually as a greeting.

"Clydas believes it forges character," Sandor growls, stopping for a minute to speak with Sansa, "and his cabin is not run by House Elves, so he got me to chop his wood."

Sansa smiles and Sandor returns to his job. "I heard my sister talking today," Sansa says.

"Yeah, as does everybody else, she never shuts up."

"I mean… I heard her planning… something."

Sandor stops his work again to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "So..?"

"She told me she was planning to get some alcohol and drink it," Sansa explains, "and she told me she wouldn't if I didn't tell on her!"

"So, there you go!"

"She is lying." Sandor is about to say something but Sansa interrupts, "she is lying, I know it, I know her. She may have put on a show and everything, but I know when she is lying."

Sandor exhales before asking, "So?"

"What if she is planning something dangerous!? She is going to get us in trouble. You have to help me."

Sansa knows she is pushing Sandor a little too far, but at this point, she doesn't care.

"Little Bird; this is Hogwarts, not even you sister can find something so dangerous that has to force me to help you," He grabs his axe again and chops a big chunk of wood, "except maybe going into the forbidden forest." He says smirking, placing another log ready to be chopped, "Besides, I'm pretty sure that if she tries anything really dangerous, the Lannister will stop her."

Sansa could feel the sarcasm, and was not reassured.

-.-.-.-

"Hey Brienne, I am really, truly sorry." Jaime said, for the first time in his life, and meaning it.

Jaime Lannister had always been the "golden boy". During his days as a student he had been the favorite of several professors, especially when the subject was a practical one. He had been the best player on his Quidditch team, and he, along with his sister, had been the most popular student from Slytherin.

Even after graduating and then going on to Auror training, he had been adored among his peers. But after his brother in law, Robert Baratheon, sent him to the most annoyingly dull and simply boring mission in the history of the world, Jaime Lannister found himself in a position where most of his colleagues disliked him.

No they do not dislike him, they hate him.

Arianne Martel, daughter and un-official secretary of Headmaster, Doran Martel, despised Jaime for taking so much time and energy from her sick father.

Astronomy Professor, Jon Arryn, disliked him, as he always had, both from his younger years and now, for his "arrogance". _'Really? Uh, what position did Arryn thought he had? He judging me? Talk about arrogance!'_

Of course there is also Petyr Bealish who acted as if he liked Jaime, but it was as fake as fake… well as fake as only Petyr Baelish could be.

And of course the Targareyn girl, who hated him simply for his last name, _'and maybe for killing her father'._

But since entering this boring job someone had caught his attention; Brienne Tarth had also been a Quidditch player in the past. She had played in 'The Rainbow Knights' some years ago. Jaime had noticed her in a game that had played against 'the White Cloaks’, a Quidditch team that had tried to recruit him before he had chose the life of an Auror.

It was honestly difficult not to notice her, really. Few people were taller than him, and even fewer of those were women.

And even fewer people were as ugly as Brienne.

With his curiosity piqued, Jaime had decided to investigate her a little further.

She had abandoned her Quidditch career, for reasons still unknown, and tried to enter Auror Academy. But hadn't been accepted and soon Doran Martel had called her to be Hogwarts' new flying teacher.

After his first day, when he had been introduced to the teaching staff, Jaime had decided to help the apparently lonely woman to be… less lonely.

And how helpful he was; he managed to make Brienne Tarth the most accompanied person at Hogwarts! And you didn't hear it from here, but was accompanied by the most impressive, handsome and fantastic Auror in the United Kingdom!

Oh! How he enjoyed it! The wench has an incredibly comfortable office and a lovely temper; perfect to annoy. Somehow it was like being with his younger brother Tyrion; only instead of having a partner to annoy people with, he had a partner to annoy. And without any consequences!

Or at least so he had. He didn't know why, but Brienne was really upset at him.

"If I said something… uh… offensive, forgive me, it was not my intention."

Jaime expects that now Brienne would smile, maybe even laugh and say: "Oh, don't worry, all is forgotten ad forgiven. We can go back to being like we were and acting as if nothing ever happened."

Of course it didn't happen like that.

"How did you find me?" Brienne was sitting at a long table in the library with a thick tome of ancient history in front of her.

"Wha-?"

"Who told you I was here? You never come to the library." Brienne asked plainly, looking at Jaime as if he had grown a second head.

"I uh-"

"You are a plague." Even if those words were directed at Jaime, Brienne almost whispered them to herself as she stood up and left the library, leaving a very confused Jaime standing awkwardly in front of the empty table.

"What just happened?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to RedSmileyFace for beta-reading (:  
> I would like to apologize for taking so long to update. I kind of sold my soul to college and well… But I already have like half of the next chapter and I have a week of vacation, so… maybe I won’t take so long for the next chapter  
> So… Until next chapter!  
> PD. SUNDAY IS COMING! AND WITH SUNDAY SEASON 4! (And I’m nervous and excited!)


	6. Chimeras

Gendry is scared, but then again Gendry is stupid.

The Dungeons, the the real ones below the Slytherin dungeons, have always been prohibited, that was known, but they weren't dangerous. Hogwarts is the safest place on earth, how could something dangerous be there?

"Why you are so interested in going then?" Hot Pie, who is following Arya closely, asks.

"This can't be a good idea." Gendry mutters some steps behind them.

"If you two are too chicken to continue, you better go back to your dorms!" Arya snaps at them, exasperated.

"But he is right, you know," Hot Pie says, "this is a terrible idea."

"Children." Arya sighs.

The three of them had abandoned the Christmas dinner quite early, claiming it was boring and that they were tired. The first claim was absolutely true; the Great hall had been decorated with candles and the table was full of food, but it was abhorrently boring. Maybe it was because Arya was so eager to go to the Dungeons later that night. Sansa had been trying to make Arya stay, but she had finally given up after Arya swore she was going directly to bed.

And she had. Part of the plan was going to bed until everybody left the Great Hall, and then sneaking out again. "It's a distraction." Arya explained when Hot Pie asked. So, when Sansa arrived from the Great Hall after the banquet had been over, she had gone to check on Arya, who had been in her room the whole time.

Now Arya, Hot Pie and Gendry are going to the Dungeons.

"I think this is the door," Arya says, looking at one big wooden door with black metal hinges. Arya takes a deep breath before pushing the door, but it's too heavy. "I need a hand here." she says and Gendry reluctantly gets closer and pushes the door.

"It's stuck." he mutters, causing Arya to frown.

"It's not, it must be a spell." Arya takes out her wand and points it to the lock, _"Alohomora."_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Jaime is not drunk, obviously. He had barely drunk any wine at the dinner, just a glass or two.

Or eight.

_'I simply do not share Tyrion's resistance to alcohol.'_

He knew the best option was to go to sleep, but he had received a couple of letters earlier that day that he hadn't opened.

' _Probably they're mostly Christmas cards… except Cersei's.'_

He takes the pile of parchments that are mostly permanent residents on his desk and throws them unceremoniously in a drawer.

But then, something catches his eye.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Do you hear that?" Arya asks, feeling a smile forming. They had found some long stairs that went even deeper under the dungeons and Arya had insisted on going down the dark stairwell. They hadn't found anything, but a slight echo could be heard.

"There is nothing!" Gendry says, clearly shaken, but trying to act brave.

"No, no, I hear it…" Hot Pie mutters, trying to be silent so he can hear better, but Gendry groans.

"There is nothing."

"There is someone, or something, singing." Arya says, and Gendry stops and looks at her with a stubborn look on his face.

"Let's go back." he orders.

"No!"

"Arya I'm not asking," Gendry says, turning, knowing that if he leaves now Hot Pie will follow, since he was the one holding the light, "we are going back."

"You craven!" Arya hisses.

"It's just some singing," Hot Pie adds, trying to make his friend stay but just as he says it something changes, "It stopped." Hot Pie and the others hold their breath for a second.

"It stopped," Arya repeats and lets go of the breath she hadn't noticed she was holding, "so… can we continue?"

"Arya I don't like this."

"Oh, you craven." Arya keeps going and when Hot Pie and Gendry realize that she is not coming back they follow. They finally reach a long hallway with torches on the sides, all dark.

"Well, this is creepy." Hot Pie jokes, trying to hide his fear.

Arya rolls her eyes, "Not you too."

The singing starts again.

"Where is it coming from?" Arya asks, more to herself than her friends.

"Arya," Gendry says, sounding more like an adult than he ever had, "I have to put my foot down. We are going back to the dorms, got it?" Arya ignores him. The corridor is so dark that it's impossible to see what is in front of them, so Arya takes the opportunity to use what Syrio had thought her.

'Watch, not only with your eyes, use your ears, use your nose…'

"There must be a door somewhere near," Arya whispers, "the singing… The singing doesn't come from the end of the corridor, but from behind the walls. Quick! Let's find the door."

"Arya," Gendry grabs her arm, and pulls her towards him, "listen to me, this is not fun. We don't know what they have there, and it could be dangerous."

"Hogwarts is the safest place in the w-"

"BUT THERE IS A REASON THIS DUNGEONS ARE PROHIBITED TO THE STUDENTS! STOP BEING SO STUBBORN AND LET'S GO!" Gendry yells. It is the first time Arya has seen him like this. Is the first time Arya has seen him like this, him mad at her.

Arya doesn't know what to say, so she pushes Gendry.

In any normal situation it wouldn't make any effect; maybe it is because Gendry is not expecting it, or because Arya is so mad, but Gendry trips and reaches out to grab an unlighted torch on the wall not to fall.

And in like all the muggle mystery books Arya has read, a hidden door opens.

The three share a surprised look, before Arya becomes determined again, "… We have to go in."

-.-.-.-.-.-

Sleeping was never specifically difficult for Brienne. She would generally tire herself physically throughout the day, and by the end of the night she would comfortably fall on her bed and fall into a deep and repairing sleep. But not today, not after sitting beside Jaime Lannister for hours, listening to him calling for her deep in his cups.

 _'Or maybe he wasn't so drunk, only looked drunk.'_ Brienne snorts at the thought and tries to get into a more comfortable position when she hears a loud knock.

'What time is it?' she wonders as she puts on a robe just before opening the door, just wide enough to see who is there.

Jaime Lannister stands there, panting.

"I… ran…" he says, clearly out of breath, "from virtually the… other… side of this… of this fucki-… fucking castle!" he takes a deep breath but before he has the chance of saying anything else, Brienne interrupts him.

"What is it, Lannister?"

"I need your help," he states, as serious as his conditions allows him.

"It's too late, whatever you need come in the morn-" Jaime takes her hand and pulls her outside her room.

"No time, need your help now!"

-.-.-.-.-.

"These are…?" Hot pie doesn't dare to finish the question, and Arya only nods.

"Cells, I didn't know Hogwarts had cells." Arya says, and for one short moment she wishes she had listened to Gendry and had gone back to her room.

But then she saw it. Something moves inside the closest cell and Arya got closer.

Inside there is a snake, a huge snake. As Arya gets closer to the door, the snake does too. Arya feels a firm grip on her arm, which pulls her back.

"What are you doing?" Gendry asks, still looking mad.

"It can't do anything, the bars are too close together, and I bet you it has a charm or two to avoid its escape. I just want to know what it is."

"It's a snake, for Salazar's sake!"

"Why would they have a snake?" Arya laughs as she shakes her arm free. When she is less than an arm's length to the door, the snake starts to rise, letting its face come almost to the same height as Arya. She can hear Hot Pie muttering "that's not normal", but she just ignores him. Just when she is about to take one more step, the snake reacts violently, opening its mouth screeching. Arya jumps back when the Snake bites its own neck, decapitating itself quickly.

Arya retreated another small step, when she saw the neck of the snake shifting. From the tear three more heads appear.

"Hydra!" Arya gasps just before the snake threw itself against the cell bars, setting itself on fire.

Arya screams, feeling Gendry pull her back again, "What is happening?" he asks, panicked, but Arya couldn't answer.

"Was that a spell?" Hot Pie asks, hiding behind Arya and Gendry.

"No," Arya says, "it set itself on fire before touching the bars, the Hydra controls it"

"Like a salamander?" Gendry asks and Arya nods, still in shock over the scare.

Once the Hydra retracted to the back of its cell Arya took a deep breath.

"Well, that one was weird," she mutters, "let's see what other rarities they have here." she said as she freed herself from Gendry's hold.

"You must be kidding me!" Gendry scolds her, "That thing could've killed you."

"But it couldn't even get out of its cell, I'm telling you they are probably charmed."

Arya kept walking, with Gendry and Hot Pie close behind her. She saw other cells but none caught her attention. It wasn't until she heard the singing again that she stops.

"Well," Gendry says, shifting his weight from foot to foot nervously, "that's creepy enough for me to want to leave."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sansa woke up with a feeling in her gut. She gets out of her bed, knowing that all her roommates were at their vacations so she didn't have to worry about making too much noise.

She quickly goes to Arya's room, _'I'm just nervous,'_ she thinks _'maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic.'_

Once in front of her sister's door, Sansa takes a deep breath before knocking the door.

No one opens.

She knocks again. "Damn you Arya, open up!" Sansa knocks up more forcefully, but when she doesn't hear anything from the other side of the door, she opens it.

As she expected, the room is empty.

 _'Oh God, oh god, oh god!'_ Sansa is in complete shock, where is Arya?

' _Oh God, oh god!'_

Without a second thought Sansa runs to the common room and in a speed she didn't know she possessed, she crosses it and starts taking the stairs towards the boys rooms.

That was before the steps flatten, of course, creating a slide.

Sansa shrieked as she fell, hitting the ground in a fashion so ungraceful no one would believe it could be her.

Sansa sits on the floor, rubbing her backside when she hears a door opening.

"What the hell is going on?"

Sansa looks up, seeing Sandor walking down the now normal looking steps, and she could see some of the few Slytherin boys that had stayed in the castle peeking as well.

"I... need your help?"

Sandor sighs, and then turns, barking at the younger students, "Go back to your beds! This is no show!" When they were finally alone again, Sandor stretched his arm, giving Sansa a hand so she could stand.

"Arya has disappeared," Sansa explains in a hurry, "please help me find her! She could get us in trouble and…"

"Little Bird," Sandor says, massaging his temple, "no more chirping. It is late, she is probably fine, and I need to sleep...and let's be honest, you do too." Sandor growls.

"But, I have to find Arya!"

"Don't act as if you are doing this for her."

"But... I am— I..."

"If you didn't think that in one way or another, this could fall on you, you wouldn't be worried."

Sansa felt like someone had just knocked the wind out of her

"That... that is not true!"

"Don't lie to me, Little Bird."

"No! Stop! That is not true! I worry about her!"

"You said 'get us in trouble', why would you say that if it wasn't because you think you are getting in trouble?"

Sansa feels a sting in her eyes, and quickly dismisses it as a sign of her tiredness.

Sandor sighs, "Go to bed, Sansa. You need to sleep. Tomorrow you two will talk."

Sandor turned to the stairs, going back to his room when Sansa find her voice back.

"I am not such... such... such a bad person to only be thinking in myself."

Sandor stops, but didn't turn to face her. "I know, Little Bird."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"We only find the singing and then we go back." Arya tells Gendry, she thinking maybe this way he isn't going to be so mad at her, but he doesn't answer.

"How do you know it is not a mermaid?" Hot Pie asks, "I mean their singing attracts sailors."

"Do you see water near here?" Arya relies, stating the obvious.

"They could be in a pool."

"Or it could be something more dangerous." Gendry says.

Arya notices that as they go deeper into the dungeons, the creatures seem more and more weird, and the cells more and more protected. Even without training, Arya could see that the doors have powerful charms placed on them. She even considered turning back and going to her chambers, but, she wouldn't. If she goes back to her chambers that would mean Gendry was right, and she doesn't want to give Gendry the satisfaction.

They finally reach the voice. It is behind a metal door, it has no bars, and it obviously can only be opened with a key.

"Well, that's anticlimactic." Gendry mutters, "We came all the way here to never know what it was. Let's go back, Arya."

"Uh, yeah." Arya answers, deflated. She follows Gendry and Hot Pie closely behind when she hears it.

"Help."

"What…?" Arya stops dead in her tracks.

"Help!"

"There is someone there." Arya whispers, "There is someone there!" Arya ran towards the door, trying to find a way to open it.

"Arya stop!" Gendry tries to pull her but the voice continued, making Arya more and more desperate to open the door.

"Help, help!"

"What are you doing?!" Gendry cries, while Arya keep trying to open the door.

"I have to open it!" Arya states, then a screech sounds, and Arya starts puling one of the hinges.

"Help!"

"Just a little bit more!"

"Gotcha.'" A pair of strong arms holds Arya's middle, quickly separating her from the door.

"Lannister!" Hot Pie gasps, taking a step back, instantly colliding with a very pissed looking Professor Tarth.

Each group stares at the other for a moment, shocked at finding the other there.

"Are we in trouble?" Arya asks, her voice hardly a whisper.

"Not in as much as you had been if any of these monsters got you." was the Auror's answer.

"What?"

"Help!"

"Are you not going to free her?" Arya asks, as the Lannister and Professor Tarth walked them back.

"Free who?" Professor Tarth asks.

"The… the woman, the one that's asking for help."

"Arya," Hot Pie calls, almost softly, "no one asked for help."

"Yes! Someone was! When we almost went back! It called for help!"

Hot Pie looks confused. "It was only the singing".

For some reason, that answer unnerves Arya.

The five of them end up at Professor's Tarth office; since it was so late, they decided not to call Professor Melissandre, or the headmaster.

"What you did tonight was not a simple mischief of some sort, it was very dangerous!" Professor Tarth says, and Arya had never seen her so angry. "You are lucky we arrived before something happened to you!" she sighs, "I will talk to Headmaster Martell and Professor Melissandre, tomorrow morning, to decide an adequate punishment. And I will take 30 points for each one of you."

Gendry and Hot Pie took a sharp breath, but Arya couldn't help herself. "It was not their fault, it was my idea! They were only trying to make sure I was okay and…-" when Professor Tarth looks directly at her, Arya stops, feeling unable to say anything more.

"Then 40 points for you." And turning back to Gendry and Hot Pie says, "I trust you two can walk Miss Stark to her dorm and go back to the kitchens without any more adventures?" Both boys nod, "Good, you are dismissed."

Arya walks behind Gendry and Hot Pie, her head low. Once they were in front of the hidden door to Slytherin she bit her lips without looking at them, "I'm sorry, I really am."

"Just… go to sleep, Arya." was the only thing Gendry said before both her friends left.

-.-.-.-.

Brienne Tarth was a fair woman, or so she thought; still she hated taking points from her own house. 'Another year without the cup' she would say to herself in any other given situation, but not this time.

"Jaime, thank you. I'm glad you stayed here for the holydays." She said, "I don't know what would have happened to the kids if you weren't here to stop them." She felt like she was starting to see Jaime in a different light, a better li-

"Yeah, well, it's my job, you know? But…" Jaime smiles mockingly, "didn't you almost cry when I told you I was staying for the holydays?"

If looks could kill.

-.-.-.-.

A knock on the door woke up Melissandre; it was not really loud, but loud enough to come across in the room, especially now that the night was silent. She took her robe and went to open the door.

In front of her was Brandon Stark, with a serious expression and looking blankly ahead.

"I dreamed of the dungeons … and my sister was there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Red-Smiley-Face for beta reading :)
> 
> ...I'm terrible writing notes, someone help me


	7. Needle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all let me apologize for the long wait (if there was anyone waiting) and second of all let me apologize because this is not beta read!

Sansa wakes up excited, it is Christmas morning. Cuddled with her is Arya; she had come back to the dorms at the middle of the night. Sansa had expected to see her with a smug smile, the one she always have when she gets away with her mischiefs, but instead she had found a sad looking Arya. Sansa had taken her sister's hand and pulled her to her room, and stayed there until she felt asleep. When they were younger, before anything important—parties, travels, and specially Christmas—they had stayed together until very late, awake for the excitement, talking and goofing around until sleep beat them and they fell asleep together, cuddling. Sansa had thought this time they could sleep like that too.

Smiling she shakes her younger sister, who doesn't wake up but makes a sound, similar to a growl.

"Arya, wake up" Sansa urges, shaking her sister harder, "It's Christmas!" Sansa waits patiently, but still her sister doesn't wake up. "Presents!" Sansa says, or more accurately, cries, and hopes out the bed, leaving Arya behind.

In the common room a lush Christmas tree stands, filled with silver trinkets and in the floor piles of presents, for the different students that had stayed in Hogwarts for the holydays. Kneeling in front of the tree, Sansa starts looking for her presents; she knows she is getting more than one. First she finds her father's, a big box, silver and white, with a darker silver bow. Inside she finds a coat, and just looking at it she knows her mother had chosen it for her. The next box was from Robb, it was wrapped in red and green Christmas paper, inside she found a bottle of perfume, that she immediately tries; _'too sweet'_ she thought, but smile none less. She opens other presents, chocolates from her aunt Lysa, a card with money from Uncle Benjen, a picture frame from Uncle Edmure, a book from her grandfather.

Finally she finds the present from her mother. Every Christmas her mother gave each child the best gift, chosen by her; even Jon got a present each year chosen by her, but the card always said it was from their father. Sansa took the small blue and red box, adorned with a silver bow and shook it softly; whatever it was, it made no sound. Sansa then puts it on her knees and unties the bow carefully, and without breaking the paper, unwraps it; it was a jewelry box and Sansa has to try very hard not to squeal. She opens the box, but just before seeing her present she closes her eyes, excited. Opening one eye, Sansa spies the content of the jewelry box, and surprised, she blinks. A silver figurine lays there; taking it out of the box, Sansa notices is a brooch for her hair.

"Mom's present?" she hears Arya ask as she walks down the stairs, wearing a robe over her muggle style pajamas with patterns of something Arya calls 'rockets' and 'ovnis'

"Mh-hm" Sansa mumbles.

"What? You don't like it?" Arya asks surprised, no one ever dislikes mom's presents.

Not even Jon.

"No! I do like it! I love it!" Sansa quickly explains, "Is just weird…"

"Weird?"

"It's a bird, neither a wolf like dad's sigil, nor a trout like mom's, not ever a snake for Slytherin, but a bird…"

"I think it suits you" Arya then pulls a present from her robe's pocket; a messy thing wrapped in brown paper with a twine bow tying it, "for you."

Sansa can't help it; she squeals and pulls her sister close, hugging her.

"Shh! You are going to wake the whole castle up!" Arya whispers, but Sansa can see her smile.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Arya opens her door kicking it, since her arms where full with presents; some books written by muggles her father had chosen for her, a pair of fluffy slippers from her brother Robb, a similar picture frame to the one Uncle Edmure had sent to Sansa. Her mother had gotten her a hairband with silver leaves, which Arya had to admit, looked beautiful. There was only one present she hadn't opened. Jon had sent her a black velvet purse; it had a tag attached to it that read: _"To my little sister From Jon, don't let curios eyes find this one"._ Arya puts all her presents on one side of the bed while sitting on the unoccupied space. Pulling the string she opens the purse, and she reaches inside the purse and gasps when her hand finds something, pulling it out, she notices the purse had a spell, making it bigger on the inside, carefully she took out a beautiful sword, thin and small, perfect for her, it's blade was wrapped with brown paper and there was a letter attached to it. Putting the sword carefully on her bed, she takes the letter.

_Little Sister:_

_First of all, Happy Christmas! I hope you have spent your vacations out of trouble, but I know you better._

_You always said you hated when your mother and sister tried to get you to practice your needlework, but I think you will like this needle. It's special for water dancing, and I hope you like it._

_Stick 'em with the pointy end,_

_Jon_

_PD: the bag I sent can only be used once, so I hope you can hide your present in your trunk._

_PD: Nymeria misses you._

_PD: Ygritte says hi and Happy Christmas._

Arya looks back at her sword, a smile stretching on her face. Admiring it she remembers what Jon had told her once about Ice, the long sword that had stayed in her family for generations: _"Every sword has its own name_ " Arya smile grew bigger, taking her sword by the hilt and putting it against the light, seeing it's reflection.

"Sansa can have her needlework, now I have my own Needle."

-.-.-.-.-

"I assure you, Miss Stark will be sanctioned by her misbehaving, Miss Tarth" says Melissandre, with her rich voice filling the office. Then, smiling in that enigmatic way of hers, she asks "are you sure you don't want some tea?"

"No I don't, really," Brienne answers, not unpolitely, "I worry that it won't let me sleep now."

"Oh, yes, you must be really tired. You said Mr Lannister woke you up at the middle of the night."

"Yes," Brienne shifts on her seat uncomfortably. She is not exactly sure if Melissandre is implying what she thinks she is implying, but she hopes she is not blushing. "Is just, I still…" Melissandre raises an eyebrow, waiting for Brienne to finish her sentence, "I…"

"Is there anything bothering you, Brienne?"

"I just don't understand how Jaime knew they were there, the kids"

Melissandre pursed her lips thinking, "it could have been the gift, or even green seeing, but…" Melissandre gave a small sigh, "I checked Mr Lannister's expedient and the notes from the former Divination professor, from when he was a student, he barely got the necessary grade on his OWLs and NEWTs to enter to Auror training" Melissandre muses, "maybe he found his "Inner eye" later in life."

"Or maybe it was just luck" Melissandre chuckled.

"There is not such thing as luck," Melissandre tells Brienne, with a tone that makes Brienne feel like a student.

"Oh really?" Brienne asks, "So, how do you explain last night? It was luck." In normal circumstances, Brienne would never antagonize with anyone in the most minimum way, but she had barely had four hours of sleep, reason why she is not in the mood for Melissandre's enigmatic way with words.

"There is always one explanation, my dear. It was the plan of the Lord of Light."

-.-.-.-.

Sansa sits in front of Sandor, who is eating his breakfast.

"Happy Christmas!" Sansa exclaims, presenting Sandor a box.

"I don't exchange gifts."

Sansa blinks, still smiling, in a way that's almost caricaturesque.

"Oh, I don't mind," Sansa smiles, still with her arms stretched with the box, "it's still for you."

"I don't have anything for you." Sandor says in that tone of his that sounded similar to a dog's growl.

"I don't mind," Sansa repeated, Sandor looks at her with one eyebrow raised, "really, I mean it." Sighing, Sandor takes the small box and opens it.

"A cake?"

"It's a lemon cake!"

"I… not everyone likes lemon cake as much as you, Little Bird."

"But this one is the BEST lemon cake!" Sansa explains, smiling.

"Why?" Sandor asks, suspicious.

Sansa had noticed that Sandor hadn't got anything for Christmas, and even if he didn't admit it, Sansa knew he likes sweets. But that was not the reason she had decided to give him the cake.

"We are friends." She tells him as if it as nothing of the other world.

"Where did you get it?" Sandor asks, closing the box, and putting it besides his plate.

"I may or may not have a secret stack of lemon cakes" Sansa jokes, and for her satisfaction, saw Sandor's lip twitch, holding a laugh.

"I do believe that" he smiles, before getting back to his food.

-.-.-.-.

Arya sat alone in the table, playing with her food nervously; Gendry and Hot Pie hadn't come out of their dorms, and Arya was starting to worry they were still mad at her.

_'Of course they are mad at you, they are probably in a ton of trouble because of you'_ a little voice in her head keeps telling her.

Arya shakes her head, trying to ignore it, and takes a big bite of the waffles in front of her, but she can't help but check the Great Hall's door constantly.

When Hot Pie and Gendry finally come in, Arya almost chocks with her waffles, action that would be generally received with a laugh and some teasing, but Gendry and Hot Pie just stand in front of her, silent.

"Uhm, happy Christmas" Arya says, slightly nervous, but trying to not show it.

The boys don't say anything and Arya feels her stomach drop, and a sting in her eyes but tries to calm down, taking a deep breath. "I am sorry," she says, before biting her lip and play with her fingers nervously. Arya has always hated apologizing, always. As a kid if she ever fought with any of her siblings—who let's be honest, it was almost always Sansa—she would be forced to apologize, and even when she knew it was her fault, the words seemed to get trapped in her throat. But this time she knew she had to apologize. "I didn't want you to get in trouble," Arya says, and bites her lip again.

"Arya," starts Gendry but Arya can't help herself and interrupts him.

"And I know you tried to stop me and I know I should have listened and I know I am stupid, but I really didn't mean for you two to get in any trouble."

"Arry" Gendry starts again, but he is interrupted again.

"And before you stop talking me for the rest of your lives, here," she grabs to presents she had under the table, handing them to the boys, "these are for you."

"Ar-" Gendry starts and before Arya can interrupt again he says, "we are no mad."

"You are not?" Arya asks, clearly surprised.

"We are not?" Hot Pie asks, even more surprised.

"No, we are not," Gendry states, looking at Hot Pie with annoyed eyes, "but we do appreciate you apologized."

Arya can't help herself and throws herself at her friends, hugging them.

"Aww, who knew you had feelings?" Gendry jokes as he ruffles Arya's hair.

"Shut up, stupid" Arya steps back and hand the presents again, smiling.

"Hey, this is nice" said Hot Pie, taking a beanie out of the package and putting it on.

"I made those, I am not the best knitter in my family, but… I'm decent"

"You used magic, right?" Gendry asked laughing, as he put on the scarf Arya gave him.

"Obviously." Arya laughs.

Hot Pie raised his arm, showing the boxes he was holding, _'did he had them the whole time?'_ Arya asks herself.

"I got you my dad's famous cherry pie." He gave one box each and Arya couldn't help to jump a little form the excitement, she had heard wonders of said pie.

"I… uh…" Gendry reached for his pocket, "I didn't knew what to get you… and… uh…. I already gave Hot Pie his present," Gendry pulled out a small box with a bow on it, and Arya took it, open it quickly.

"Is this a…?" Arya asked, holding the plastic object, which was slightly bigger than a pocket watch.

"A radio, a normal one… A muggle radio, you can hear muggle music with it, you just…" he takes it for one second, showing Arya how it works. "You need batteries, and signal, because in some places you can't listen to anything but white noise, but it has a pretty long antenna" he says stretching it and giving it back to Arya, who was looking at him like if he had just grown a second head, and then that second head had transformed into an unicorn head.

"…Are you some kind of genius?" Arya asks. She doesn't understand half the things he said.

"I repair this kind of things, in my job, but since most people nowadays have iPods my boss let me keep this one."

"You have a job?" Arya asks curiously, Gendry rarely speaks about himself and even if she tries to avoid it, she had heard some rumors about him…

"Yeah, it's only during my summers, though."

Arya didn't said anything, waiting for Gendry to continue.

"There is tis shop, in front of the foster house I stay in the summers…" he started telling, as he, Arya, and Hot Pie sat to eat breakfast.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Brienne knocks insistently, waiting for Jaime Lannister to open the damned door. She raises her hand to knock again but stops when she hears movement in the other side of the door.

"What?" Jaime asks as he opened the door; for someone who sounded so asleep, and who had probably slept for less than five hours, he looked unfairly good.

_'He looks better waking up mildly hung over than me when I actually try to look good'_

"Oh, hi" Jaime greets with a flirty smile, "couldn't you wait to see me until after I've had my beauty sleep?"

"Stop it, I have no time for your games" Brienne tries to ignore how Jaime's smile dies and instead, she asks, "Can I ask you something?" Jaime looked at her and smiles again, but instead he has that petulant smile of his, and for a second Brienne wants to punch him in the face, _' is because I haven't slept, is because I haven't slept, and not because I actually want to punch him in the face and see all his perfect teeth fall'_

"Of course, you can ask me anything, professor Tarth."

"How did you know? That the kids were there, how did you knew?"

Jaime laughed, "Oh well, someone is curious."

"I'm being serious!"

"You seriously sacrificed sleeping to come to the other side of the castle and ask me this?"

"No," Brienne states, "I also went to Melissandre's office"

"Mh-hm, and what did you talked about?" he asks before yawning, "Did you asked her to see in her fires how did I know the kids were in the dungeons?"

"No!" Brienne answers quickly, a little too quickly, "Well, not exactly"

"Ha!"

"So!" Brienne almost screams, she is sure she is blushing now, "Are you going to tell me or…"

"Hell no!"

"What?!"

"You asked, but I decided not to answer" he explains as he walks to the door and turns to Brienne, "Later, professor."

And he chuckles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I tried a little I could make this fic more similar to the book series than the show, WHAT THE MONKEY WITH EVERYTHING?! (I was not planning to add Grenn and Pyp but now (I don't know how) I'm gonna add them and it's going to be glorious! AND ARIANNE IS GOING TO BE EVEN MORE GLORIOS THAN I ALREADY HAD PLANNED)
> 
> Now; random notes from the chapter…
> 
> My mom gives the best presents, I wanna believe every family has an aunt/someone that gives the best presents, and I fell Catelyn will be that kind of person. And of course Edmure is the opposite.
> 
> I'M ACTUALLY NOT SURE ABOUT WHAT ARYA GOT FOR SANSA (nor viseversa) SO IF ANYONE WANTS TO GIVE ME IDEAS IT WOULD BE AWSOME!
> 
> Also, I really get annoyed when everybody draws Arya like this she is super confident girl who doesn't care in anyone's opinion and everything. Yes she is super brave, and has nerve and she dosen't let herself be bullied, but she is also kind of insecure (What kind of person would believe her mother is not going her back just because she is dirty and had short hair?) sooo… I added a little bit of insecure Arya and her fear of endig up alone.
> 
> And last but not least, I know I haven't add a lot of Bran but… he is so difficult to write for me…
> 
> PD. Originally Gendry was going to give Arya a Swiss knife, but I decided to change it to a butterfly knife… and wait a couple of Christmases.


	8. The Happy Couple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry for the long wait and short chapter, but... I have no excuse, I'm so sorry.

** The Happy Couple **

“You… are what?” Sansa Stark asks.

The holydays are finally over, and most of the students are coming back to school, and in the middle of that sea of people, Joffrey Baratheon.

Joffrey Baratheon also known as the guy who has a very special present for his girlfriend, Sansa Stark.

“What are you, deaf? I’m dumping you.”

Ex-girlfriend, Sansa Stark.

The same Sansa Stark who has been waiting in the cold for him to come back, longer than she would like to admit.

The same Sansa Stark who has been waiting all this time just to be dumped.

“Wha-why?” Sansa asks, because she can’t actually think in anything else to say.

“I met someone else, Margaery Tyrell. Yeah, she is pretty so, I’m dumping you.”

“Oh…” Joffrey says something else, but Sansa ignores him.

For a moment, Sansa knows nothing, she doesn’t know who leaves first, or where she is going, she just knows one thing.

She can’t stop laughing.

“Sansa, are you feeling alright?”

Sansa stops laughing for a second, just to see Jeyne. She still has her coat on, and has in her hand a small present, that Sansa assumes is for her. In less than an instant, she starts laughing again.

“J-Joffrey!” She tries to explain between peals of laughter, “H-he, he dumped ME!!”

“O-okay?” Jeyne grabs Sansa by the arm, trying to guide her to the common room, “I think you may be a little bit tired, maybe is for the best if you rest for a little while.”

* * *

 

Bran sat at the far end of the Ravenclaw’s table, all by himself, thinking. It had been a while since he had had what he very vaguely had named ‘The Dream’. It had been a while since he had woken up and gone for help to the one person he think could; Professor Melissandre.

 _“I could help you,”_ she had said, _“You have a magnificent gift, one that should be worked on, perfected!”_

She had asked Bran to give her an answer, and Bran still couldn’t make up his mind.

It all seemed so strange, so out of the ordinary. Why couldn’t he wait until 3rd year like the rest to decide if he wants or not to take Divination? It seemed quite imposed. He had never cared about Divination, not really…-

“What are you doing here all by yourself?” Bran looks up and sees Arya standing across the table. “You know the feast is, like, in an hour?”

“If that’s so, why you are here?” he noticed how bad the question sounds until after is out of his mouth, but Arya just laughs.

“I just came here to hang with my friends, little brother.” Arya answers, smiling brightly, “And I think yours found you too.”

Arya then turned and left going to the Hufflepuff’s table just as Jojen sits beside him.

“How were the Holydays?” Bran asked.

“Good,” Jojen answered simply. Bran had almost forgotten how dull Jojen could be. Almost.

“And yours? Nothing happened?”

“No,“ Bran said, trying to sound casual “nothing at all.”

* * *

 

Eventually Sansa and Jeyne arrived to the Great Hall, and the moment they got in, Jeyne had pulled Arya to sit with them. At first she had been worried, Sansa had her eyes red and puffy, which meant she had been crying, but Jeyne assured her she had not been crying, in fact she had been laughing so hard that was the reason there were tears in her eyes. Then Arya had asked what happened, and Sansa had explained. Now, she just wanted to shut her sister just for a minute.

“I just can’t believe it,” Sansa says, and Arya wants to roll her eyes. She has not stopped talking about Joffrey Baratheon, and both Jeyne and Arya are trying to make Sansa change the subject, partially because either want to distract her, in partly because they are getting sick of the topic.

Arya can’t say she was happy her sister has been dumped by that little shit; but only because she doesn’t like to see her sister so sad—even if she was trying to hide it—but she knows she will not miss the sounds of a dog eating peanut butter they did while making out in the common room.

She also knows that no matter what Sansa said, Joffrey made her life miserable.

One prank here, one mean comment there.

“Was I drunk during my whole relationship or how did I stood him!” Sansa cried.

“You have never been drunk,” remembers her Jeyne, “you haven’t even tried butterbeer.”

A dry laughed startled the three girls, who turned to see Sandor Clegean.

“Do you find anything funny, Hound?” Arya asks. She knows Sandor is Joffrey’s best friends. That obviously makes him her enemy. Not only by association but also for the Micah accident, so she doesn’t care if she sounds aggressive, even if Sansa is trying to scold her just with her eyes.

But he doesn’t answer to Arya, he sets his eyes on Sansa before saying, “you have never needed alcohol to be delusional, little bird.”

“And what does that mean?” Arya interjects. Sandor looks at her coldly, but does not speak to her. He simply nods a goodbye to Sansa and leaves.

“You should not speak to him like that, Arya!” Sansa says once Sandor is no longer on an ears reach.

“Yeah!” Jeyne agrees, “Do you wants to get us all killed, Underfoot?”

“He is not…” Sansa starts saying before Arya interrupts her.

“I am not afraid of the Hound!”

“Don’t call him that!”

“And you shouldn’t be scared of him either.”

“Well, that’s true.” Sansa mutters.

“And then what? End up with a broken arm?”

“Is not…” Sansa finally losses her patience and slams her hands against the table, “you two stop! Sandor is my friend! And he is not a bully, and yeah, there is no reason to be afraid of him!”

“Oh, defending him now, little bird?” Arya mocks ask.

“Don’t be like that, Arya…”

“No! You don’t be like that!” Arya stands, pissed. “Your boyfriend’s friend beat up my friend! And now, instead of hating him you want me to be nice, because you decided to make him you friend! Just to what? To not get on my side!?” Sansa looks at her, with an incredulous expression and before she can respond, Arya leaves. She ends up seating in the very front, near the professors just in time to hear Arianne Martell ask everybody to sit.

Once all the students were in the Great Hall and seated, Professor Martell stood up, and immediately the whole hall went silent.

“It is a pleasure to have you all back in the school, and I do hope you enjoyed your vacations.” Professor Martell smiled widely before adding. “We have some announcements.”

“First I would like to congratulate Professor Daenerys Targaryen and Professor Khal Drogo who took advantage of this holydays to elope.” A collective gasp took over the Great Hall, and Arya can clearly hear a ‘damn!’ but it gets ignored. The couple of Newlyweds are looking at each other with dreamy eyes and wide smiles. Arya can bet that Sansa is in her place swooned by the news, comparing it to songs and tales.

“I would also like to remind you that the lower dungeons are forbidden and the students that enter will be punished.”

Arya lifts her head, and looks at Gendry, who is on the other side of the Great Hall, he looks at her and lifts his shoulders, acting as if he didn’t care about what he had just heard.

The rest of the feast Arya couldn’t stop thinking on what kind of punishment they were going to get. She had read old history books that told some quite barbaric punishments that used to be inflicted to students, but she highly doubted Professor Martell would use them.

Arya sighs; this was going to be a long semester.

%MCEPASTEBIN%


	9. Punishment

** Punishment **

“That is barbaric!” Brienne yells. She can’t believe what Professor Greyjoy is implying.

“I am not saying we will punish them in the dungeons, I’m just remembering you all that in the old times things like this didn’t happened.” He looks directly at Brienne before resuming, “and _that_ was the reason it didn’t happened.”

“Well, ‘in the old times’ there was not a situation like this.” Jaime mumbles as he takes a bite of a biscuit he has. While Brienne is already standing up and so tense she feels like a bowstring, Jaime is relaxed, sitting in a chair with his legs on the table.

“So, what do you all suggest we do instead… hanging the kids from their thumbs?” asks Baelish, and Brienne can bet he is suppressing a smile.

Brienne looks around the room. The meeting is quite small for the magnitude of the situation.

In the room there are only Melisandre, Jaime, Professor Baelish, Professor Greyjoy, Professor Arryn, Professor Ryder and herself.

Not even Arianne is there.

“They not only put themselves in danger, they could have put the whole school in danger!” Professor Ryder states, his voice filling the room. “It should not be taken lightly!”

“So, are you suggesting we _do_ hang them from their thumbs?” Melisandre asks, taunting him with a smile.

“No,” Ryder says through gritted teeth, “What I mean is suspension.”

“Suspension?” Brienne finds herself asking dumbly.

“Yes, suspension, that would mean choose an amount of days they are not allowed in school” Jaime explains as if Brienne was so dense, with hand gestures and everything. She feels her cheeks warm.

“I know what a suspension is, Lannister! I just…”

“We cannot suspend them.” Professor Arryn states, as if it was the simplest of facts.

“Oh and why not?” Ryder asks, at the moment the main door opens, Arianne Martell entering, her usual impeccable looks somehow perturbed.

“Oh, miss Martell” Baelish voice calls, with a singing note, “how _fantastic_ that you could join us.”

“What is that I hear of a suspension?” if she heard Baelish, she is ignoring him.

“Nothing, it will not be done.” Arryn states again, crossing his arms.

“And why not?” Interjects Jaime. “It sounds harsh, yes, but at least the message would be clear.”

“We cannot suspend Waters,” Brienne says finally, “His foster house cannot house him outside the summer. We would be throwing him to the streets.”

“Waters… is an orphan?” Jaime asks, and while the question is addressed to the whole room, he is looking directly at her before getting in deep thought. Somehow Brienne thinks he looks as if he was joining pieces of a puzzle.

“His mother died when he was just a kid,” Arryn explains, “When he turned 11, I was the one to find him to give him his letter.” He turns his eyes to Jaime, “He has no one out there.”

“Well, don’t suspend _him.”_ Jaime mumbles.

“And suspend the other two students? That sounds hardly fair.” Brienne mutters.

“He could still get a suspension” Greyjoy spits, “we don’t have to send him out of here, only out of the classes.”

“Giving them more time to wonder around the castle?” laughs Melisandre, “Oh Greyjoy, what an amusing idea, I must say.”

“So anyone has any idea?!” Ryder asks, annoyed. If he had known this would take this long he wouldn’t have come, like the rest. Not even Selmy is here.

Brienne hides her eyes behind her hand; this is going to be a long night.

x.x.x

Jeyne sits in front of Sansa letting an impressive pile of books in the table.

“Why you took so many?” Sansa whispers, “The homework was supposed to be a _short_ summary.”

“Well, the new assistant _insisted_ I took all these books” Jayne comments under her breath.

“Hey Poole!” Arya calls way to loudly for the library, “you forgot these!” She walks to their table and let the books fall on the table, loudly.

“ _Sshhhh”_ a collective whisper is directed to Arya, who simply rolls her eyes.

“Oh, shut up! I give the orders around here!” she barks to the other students, some older than her.

“Oh, do you?” a monotonous voice asks behind her, the three girls looked up to find the Ghost of Rodrick Harlaw, Hogwarts’ Librarian. “I will talk to you head of House for a re-assignment” and with that the librarian left them.

“What an arse!” Arya says as she sits besides Jeyne, who was opening the first book of the gigantic pile.

“Arya! You can’t talk of him like that! He is the librarian!” Sansa whispers, trying to stop the unwanted attention of other students.

“Only because he died in here” Jeyne says, closing the book and opening the next one, checking it’s index.

“Jeyne!”

“Well, it’s the truth.” Jeyne continued, unapologetic, “so, Underfoot, did you gave me any useful book?” she exclaims closing the second book and getting te third one, “most of them don’t even talk about transformation!”

“Oops, my bad, it seems I was a terrible secretary.” Arya laughs, her smile wide.

“Girls, could you stop fighting, please? People are watching” Sansa says concerned.

Both Arya and Jeyne continue ignoring Sansa and loudly bickering. Not loudly enough to call Mr. Harlow’s attention, but enough to call the attention of every student around.

“Oh, I’m leaving!” Sansa exclaims after an awfully loud laugh of Arya.

Sansa took her things and left even before she put her books and quills in her bag, ending up juggling her stuff while trying to leave the library with a dignified walk.

Sansa walks aimlessly. Trying to think of a place where she could go and finish her homework. A place where, hopefully, she could finish while not is interrupted by bickering friends and sisters. The common room wasn’t an option anymore, Joffrey could be there. While the initial, _shock,_ had ended, that didn’t meant she _wanted_ to see the blond haired…dummy, while trying to concentrate. She could use an empty classroom, or even in the gardens, she had seen people…

“Sansa!” a female voice calls her. Walking towards her is Margaery Tyrell, followed by a train of friends… or admirers.

“Margaery,” Sansa tries to greet her nicely, but she knows her smile looks fake; Margaery turns to one of her friends and whispers something to her. After that they left are left alone.

“I really hoped I could to talk to you,” Margaery starts walking with Sansa, with their arms linked. “I know you might not want to talk to me, give the situation.”

“The situation?” Sansa asks, more concerned with the books that are almost spilling from her arms. Margaery seems to notice her dilemma and grabs one of the thick volumes. She smiles sweetly at Sansa.

“Joffrey and I. I know you two were dating for a long time.”

“Yeah, almost two years” Sansa says, still not understanding where this conversation is going.

“And I wouldn’t want my recent relationship with Joffrey cause any… altercation between us.”

‘ _Oh..?’_

“Actually, given the fact that you’ve known Joffrey for so long… Oh! This is embarrassing!” Margaery cries, she lets go of Sansa’s arm to hide her face behind her hands. She is blushing and in a way Sansa thinks that that only makes her look prettier. “I know I shouldn’t, but I would… I’ve wondered.”

Margaery pauses, and sighs, she looks at Sansa directly at her eyes.

“I would like us to be friends, and… if you don’t mind, I would like to ask you for some advice…”

‘ _Oh!’_

“Margaery I don’t think this is the best…”

“Oh, I understand!” Margaery interrupts even before Sansa can explain. “It was so wrong of my part! I mean, I don’t know how you feel after…”

“Oh, no! Is NOT because of THAT! I honestly don’t mind you to going out! I just thought that I didn’t have any advice to give you.. AT least any useful, since we didn’t work out….”

“Oh that’s just silly! You were a fantastic girlfriend!”

“You think?”

“I know!” Margaery waited, but Sansa didn’t said a thing, “so… even without the advice, I know it was silly! I’d still like us to be friends.”

“That would be lovely!”

 _‘Sansa, what would your mother say if she saw you lying like_ that _, you little minx!’_ said a voice in Sansa’s head.

And she ignores it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Arya sits down with so much energy Bran swears she bounces a little.

“Ravenclaw’s table, you know” Brans states, deadpan, and looks up from his book to her sister “Aren’t you supposed to be working in the library?”

“Oh, my dear brother,“ she starts sarcastically, “a huge tragedy happened in the library and I am no longer required there!”

“…Then shouldn’t you be with Melisandre? She has to assign you a new punishment.”

“Mnaah, she is in ‘consult’” For some reason, student’s went to Melisandre to get their hand, tea, coffee, rice, and sometimes even blood read. Most of them wanted to know the answers for tests, some others the future of their love life, a couple went to know if their favorite team would do well during the quidditch season.

Bran found it stupid.

 _“It’s such an inexact thing!”_ Bran had stated more than a million times, but he was still constantly ignored.

“But its better like this, giving them time” Arya explains, “I swear it’s more of a punishment for them than for me.”

“Oh really?”

“Oh, yeah!” Arya copies his sarcastic tone, “Melisandre send me to the Infirmary first, but I almost drop a ‘precious’ bone growing thing, and Maester Aemon send me back. I went to help Barristan, but he thought I had ‘too much energy’. Damphair closed his door on my nose the moment he saw me, and Harlaw is too possessive about his books… I don’t even know why she sends me to them!”

“Yeah, they should have send you to Professor Arryn, he loves dad. He says he was even more aware of how he was doing than some of his Ravenclaw students!”

“At first I thought I was going to end up with him, but Gendry is there, and they didn’t want any of us together. Hot Pie with fixing brooms and polishing the Quiddtich balls with Professor Tarth.” Arya sighs, “I wish they send me to Syrio, I would probably end up doing something cool.”

“The point is a punishment!” Bran laughs a little, hardly believing his sister, “and if you continue like this, you are going to end up grading Transformation’s written exams.”

She sticks her tongue at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so I'm sticking to shorter chapters, hopefully I will update faster this way.
> 
> (Gosh, sorry, this is not beta-read... I really wanted to post it NOW (I'm not saying that if it wasn't now I was going to forget, but...))


	10. Forbbiden Forest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn you Bran and your impossible POV's

“Oh My GOD” Jeyne exclaims, holding her copy of The Daily Prophet so close to her face, the ink could easily stain her face, “Hear this: ‘The dark wizard Gregor Cleagane, better known as The Mountain, was seen yesterday as he was being chased by Auror and ex-quidditch sensation Beric Dondarrion.’ “

“What?” Sansa asks, half listening.

“’It appears that once Cleagane was cornered by the Auror, the dark wizard attaked Dondarrion almost killing him on the spot’!” Jeyne reads, her voicing taking a higher pitch every word.

“You were his fan, right?”

“I LOVED HIM” Jeyne exclaims. “He wasn’t just a Qudditch player, he did art in the air!”

“Are you crying?”

“N-no,” Jeyne takes a shaky breath before resuming her reading. “Here it says veteran Auror Thoros of Myr interviened and might saved his life. Dondarrion was interned in St. Mungo and is still under medical care.”

“So, you are not crying?” Sansa asks again, noticing her friend’s shaky hands.

“…not yet.”

Jeyne keeps reading, pouting like a child. Sansa takes a bite of her toast when she spots Maergary entering to the Great Hall, she catches her looking at her and smiles and waves at Sansa. Sansa waves back, with a small smile and notices Maergary telling something to her friends, leaving them behind.

“Oh, hello Sansa!” Maergary greets with a soft voice once she reaches the Slytherin table “…and”

“Jeyne” Jeyne answers not looking up from her newspaper

“Oh… hi!”

“Hi Maergary” Sansa greets. She can’t help but notice that Maergary has somehow managed to make her uniform look beautiful and elegant.

“Oh, please call me Marg.”

“Oh, sure”

“I was just wondering,” Marg sits in front of Sansa with a big smile, “I don’t know if you have a lot of work to do, but I would love to hang out later, maybe talk a little about what I told you the other day.”

“Right, sure! It’s not like there is anything better to do.” Maergary claps excitedly and smiles brightly at Sansa.

“Great! I’ll see you after class! Now I have to leave” even the way she stands looks perfect and beautiful, Sansa notices. “I have to go to my table and eat” she waves good bye and mouths a ‘see you’

“I don’t like her” Jeyne mutters once Marg is far enough, but is not exactly discreet.

“Oh, come on! What’s wrong with her!?”

“She has… her… she… She is too nice!” Jeyne states, struggling with her words. “She is just way too nice.” She mutters, going back to her paper, acting as if she wasn’t angry.

_‘Why is she so upset?’_ Sansa wonders _‘Is she jealous?’_ Sansa cannot help but find funny the idea of Jeyne being jealous of Maergary.

“Don’t give me that look, Sansa!” Jeyne cries “I know what I am talking about; she is just too nice, abnormally nice, and out of the blue! She has to be planning something!”

“Maergary Tyrell is not planning something…” she starts, looking at the Ravenclaw’s table, “she is just feeling bad, and doesn’t want me to think that she stole me Joeffrey or something.”

“Maergary Tyrell is not a good person,” a gruff voice says behind them, making both girls turn surprised.

“See!” Jeyne exclaims, “Thank you Hound!” Sandor Cleagane was looking at Maergary’s table, as if analyzing something.

“Marg is good!” Sansa feels as if she has to defend the poor girl.

“Oh, now are we calling her Marg?”

“Get over it, Little Bird. She just wants you too sum yourself to the lines and lines of admirers.”

“She just wants to be my friend!”

“Maergary Tyrell doesn’t have friends, Little Bird, she has admirers. And she uses them, trust me.”

-.-.-.-.-.-

“I was perplexed, astonished, troubled, stupefied! And please do not ask me to repeat myself I think I cannot remember that order” the whole classed laughed as Proffesor Forel, moved his quill around, as if it were his wand, “but I had to act quick! I distracted the Hippogriff and in one swift movement took one of the eggs!”

Defense Against the Dark Arts had quickly gained Arya’s attention since first year, but her previous professors, both Mormont and Dondarrion had never approached the subject in such an interesting angle as Syrio Forel had. Even if MOST classes now felt all the same to Arya, making her specially hate History of Magic, and Care of Magical Creatures… it is all worth it; she doesn’t mind having those boring a dull classes she will probably drop out in her fifth year.

It’s all worth it because professor Forel is training her in the art of ‘Waterdancing’, every day after class.

Arya admits she is becoming better and better, even when Syrio’s exercises are so, so weird.

 

 

“So,” Syrio starts, “Have Mellissandre told you already about your new punishment?”

He always does that in middle of a duel, distract her; is not going to work this time.

“I know the boy, Waters, has to help Arryn every night, he looks sleep deprived. And Pie boy has surely some bruises from a bludger or two.” Syrio smiles, noticing Arya’s concentration flicker, “but I’m sure that would be nothing against you. I even told Melissandre you could help me grading papers, English is not an easy language sometimes…”

“Really!?”” Arya asks excitedly and in that moment Syrio takes his chances. With a swipe of his wooden sword he makes her fall on the floor.

“Really. But Melissandre said no, she thinks it wouldn’t be a punishment.”

Arya feels defeated more because what Syrio had said than for losing before managing to hit him at least once.

“It’s good for today” says Syrio sitting in a bench on the back of the classroom, with a flick of his wand a teapot appears in front of him an starts pouring two cups of a dark liquid. “Braavosi coffee?” Syrio offers a cup and Arya stands, walking toward the Braavosi.

“Sure, thanks” Arya drinks from the cup but immediately spits it, “It’s bitter.”

“So is life” Syrio says, a small smile on the corner of his lips, “Professor Ryder was also interested in your help, says you are good in his subject.”

“Oh, yeah, I like Muggle Studies,” Arya tries to pass her comment as casual; ‘Muggle Studies’ is not a generally respected subject.

“So that’s probably why Melissande is not going to send you there to help”

“Do you know what is going to happen to me?”

Syrio looks at her for a log hard time.

“You are to study hard, travel, meet people and live a long life.”

“Uhm… I meant with the punishment, Professor Forel.”

“Oh!” he laughs, appearing a biscuit with the flick of his hand, “yes I know.”

“Oh! What? Where is Melissandre sending me?”

“I won’t tell!”

-.-.-.-.-.

“So, none of your students has been a problem?” Melissandre asks as she sits in the chair in front of Brienne’s desk.

“I, uhm” Brienne glances at the head of Slytherin, nervously.

“Of course not, I know that.” She mumbles, she stares at he chimney, Brienne rarely light is, and she knows Melissandre hates that.

“Why are we…?”

“I told Stark to come here once she finishes her extracurricular activities, I will inform her of her new punishment” Melissandre states, as she looks at her nails.

“Why here?” Brienne asks, glancing nervously at the door.

“The Lannister said here was the perfect place to discuss about our little troublemakers.” Melissandre comments as if it was the simplest idea in the world “He is right you do have a comfy office”

Even when Brienne’s attention is primarily on Melissandre, she still could see Jaime standing beside the door, a goofy grin on his face, but completely silent.

“So, it was his idea?”

“You don’t have to thank me!” Brienne immediately misses Jaime’s silence. His grin is so big Brienne thinks it makes him look younger.

“I will pay you to leave,” Brienne whispers to Melissandre “I will pay you more than he is paying you, double!”

“Oh, darling! You don’t have the money to pay more than a Lannister!” Melissandre laughs, but then she looks at Brienne, as if she could see something, something so different… Something deep in her soul. “But you will…”

“Pay you double? You bet I will.”

“No, have the money.” Says Melissandre, looking confused.

“More money than a Lannister?”

“…not exalty.” Melissandre stands and for a second Brienne bets she is going to leave, but then a knock on the door caught her attention.

“Come in.”

“Hello? Is Miss Melissandre here?” Arya Stark enters the room with silent steps, and comes closer to the desk.

“Miss Stark.” Melissandre greets, and Brienne notices that her previous action-stading up-was only to receive the student.

_Pfft only to impress._ Briene can’t help to think bitterly, _it’s like if I entered the great Hall every day in my broom._

“Mr Harlow send me, he says my help is not really needed.” The girl says, and she is _selling it._

She didn’t Mr Harlaw had already talked to the professors.

“I bet the kind of help you are giving is not really _needed_ , Miss Stark.” Says Jaime with a small chuckle. If Arya Stark gets his jest, she doesn’t retorts anything.

“I’ve been thinking,” says Melissandre, “maybe the assigments I’ve set are… to boring, for you.”

Brienne can see the hint of a smile in Arya’s young face.

“So I decided to assign you something a little more physical.”

Before Melissandre can finish, someone knocks at her door, breaking the moment.

“Come in.” Brienne calls and Gendry comes in.

“Miss Tarth, hello.” He greats a little too seriously for a boy his age. The look Jaime gives him when he is not looking is one Brienne had never seen in him. Is the same look some girls would give her when she was young and too tall and too muscly to be pretty, the same look her teammates gave her when she beat them at practice.

Brienne doesn’t want to think too much about it, she looks at Gendry and tries to smile at him, even if he is looking at his friend.

“How is it going with Jon Arryn, Gendry?” Gendry looks up, and Brienne swears he has a small blush.  
“He is… too good.” He says, raising his hand and rubbing the back of his head.

“Too good?” Brienne asks “what do you mean”

“He is just nice after nice.” He says, and frowns in a way that makes him look like if he was in pain, “I can’t leave his sight, but I assumed that’s normal. He also asks me of my life outside school. About my friendship with you…” Gendry finishes looking at Arya, who raises an eyebrow.

“Why would he ask about that? Does he think I was the one that got you in trouble!?” Arya asks, a little too offended for the persons who _did_ get Gendry in trouble.

Jaime seems to share her thought as he laughs openly, showing his perfect teeth.” _And why do I care his teeth are perfect?_ ”

-.-.-.-

Bran likes Hogwarts’ gardens. Back in Winterfell he liked taking his wolf Summer and explore the woods around his home. He would love to have Summer in school, they could explore the Forbidden Forest…” _Or maybe not.”_ Bran thinks, he remembers that one 4 th year Ravenclaw had told him and the rest of the first’s years that wicked things lived in that forest. _“I don’t understand why they have a super dangerous forbidden forest so near to the students”_

He is just walking by the groundkeeper’s house. Clydas is an old man, or so he looks, short with small eyes

Is there where Bran sees Arya.

“What are you doing here?” Bran asks, he sounds a little too mockingly, but he can’t help it.

“Punishment” Arya says, she doesn’t sound as cheerful as before. She is sitting on a tree stump picking at her nails.

“Oh, what are you doing to get free this time?” Bran laughs.

Arya glares at him.

“Very funny.”

“What? It was an honest question.”

“Clydas is basically my last option, is this or suspension.” Arya bites back.

“Why don’t you talk to Melissandre? She may give you a not so horrible punishment if you ask nicely.”

“Pfft, what’s the point on that? Talking about Melissandre, she told me to tell to go to her office.”

_‘That’s not happening’_

Before Bran answers two figures walk towards them, and Bran recognizes Sandor Cleagane and Clydas. The groundskeeper calls Arya with a movement of his hand and Arya basically drags her feet towards them

Arya stands besides Sandor Cleagane; he had been helping Clydas for a while now, for some reason that no one ever told Bran.

“Well,” Clydas starts but interrupts himself to cough loudly, “tell her what to do.”

Sandor looks at Arya, with a borderline dead look on his face, before turning and grabbing an ax.

“Wow, so this is it? This is how I go?” Arya jokes, and Sandor gives her that borderline dead look again, but angry.

“Don’t tempt me.” It’s then when Sandor notices Bran’s presence and glares at him too.

_‘This is going to be so much_ fun _.”_ Bran thinks.


End file.
